


The Aesthetic of Fangs

by Scarlet_Claws



Category: Vocaloid
Genre: Alternate Universe - Vampire, Biting, Blood Drinking, Bondage, Fantasy, Fluff and Smut, Light Dom/sub, M/M, Male Slash, Miku is Evil, Orgasm Delay/Denial, Possessive Behavior, Romance, Rough Sex, Science Fiction, Seduction, Slash, Vampire Clan, Vampires, genderbent!luka, pinning
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-26
Updated: 2020-01-12
Packaged: 2020-05-20 03:54:50
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 36,156
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19369303
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Scarlet_Claws/pseuds/Scarlet_Claws
Summary: [On hiatus.]In a world where vampires rule over humans as the holder of technology coming from the stars, Kaito, a young vampire, is sent as a gift to clan lord Gakupo. Passion ignites between the two, but after cruel treatment in the hands of his sire, Miku, Kaito cannot stand the idea of belonging to anyone... and Gakupo is known for his possessive tendencies.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This was actually written before I started the Hornet of Red Square (THoRS) and after I was finished with Frost Dreams. I only publish it now because I was pondering for the whether or not I should publish it as original work or fanfiction, as it's an AU and heavily draws from a lot of my headcanons for vampires. (If I ever write some original fiction featuring vampires, their biology will be very similar to the one that is featured in fanfiction.) I found it again while I was going through my files and just thought whatever, maybe someone will like that. 
> 
> So, uh, I hope that you will like it, dear reader. As always, I am open to any critique you might have, good or bad. 
> 
> A couple of disclaimers before I start. 
> 
> Luka is gender-bent in this because I needed another male character. There are no hetero ships here, sorry to those that came here looking for this. I really hesitated a long time before featuring the Luka x Len in the tags because of that but I eventually did because they will be appearing prominently in the story. 
> 
> Edit 27/03/2020: I got to warn you that this story is now on hiatus until I have completed my other story, Hornet of Red Square. I tend to start too many stories at the same time and then stress when I can't update every single one of them regularly, so I started a new rule of "only one active story per fandom." I'll come back to this one and see if I still have the motivation to write it when I am finished with HoRS. Sorry for the inconvenience, and everyone that's been waiting for an update on this.

Kaito had hated his link with his sire. Having the woman he detested inside his head, watching him and judging him. The only thing that had held him through was that he was still young: in time, the link would have grown thinner and thinner, never completely disappearing, but also making him less of an open book to her.

He had never expected an alternative to be offered to him, nor had he known that such links could be severed entirely using magic before she told him about it. She had also told him that it would hurt but he had taken the opportunity without a second thought.

And, yes, it had hurt more than anything he could imagine. But he was free.

There was just one last mission he needed to fulfill before he was free to go, and then he would be able to do as he pleased. He would travel, probably. He had always wanted to go visit some famous cities, where bits and pieces of the old human civilizations from long ago still remained and where vampires lived side by side with the living. Just one letter to deliver and the world would be open for him to roam, given that he didn’t venture to far sough on Sun children territory.

It should have been a little thing, but he had never been this afraid. As much as he hated her, Miku had been the only shield he ever has to protect him from the outside world, and that world could be merciless for young vampires like him. She wouldn’t have let any harm come to him, because she felt all he felt through their connection and thus it would have been like harming herself. Now that he was an orphan, he no longer beneficiated from her protection, he was vulnerable, and just had been sent to the most powerful vampire clan of the country.

He crossed a village of sleeping humans, all so neatly tucked away in their little homes. They knew that they were safe, hidden behind their crosses and their warded front doors. Kaito had fed earlier on a buck he had lured close to him using his powers and couldn’t care less for human blood right now. He was only grateful for the paved path, meant for carriages, that was far more suited for traveling quickly than the forest trails his kind favored.

Using his map and the stars, he soon left the village and moved into the hills. The road became older and obviously less in use, before turning into gravel and finally dirt, but he followed it regardless, occasionally sending a worried glance towards the East where the skin was starting to look a little less dark. He still had time.

He came to an old crumbled bridge, which’s remains were still piled up on the sides of a stream. He didn’t give it more than a glance before leaping from one side to the other. The rive was the last landmark he needed to find, so he knew that he didn’t have much further to go.

Yet he was surprised to suddenly see that the road in front of him was back in pristine condition, made of that black, smooth material that vampires seemed to favor in their constructions and that humans had always tried to replicate – not to avail. Kaito came to a full stop before continuing: beyond that, he was in lord Gakupo’s territory.

It was only with reluctance that he laid a foot on the new road in front of him as if the master of the place would have some way of knowing about his presence once he did. Maybe he could. After all, a vampire’s power grew in unexpected ways as they grew older, and it was evident that Kaito’s former sire had not told him but half of what they were capable of – if she even knew herself.

A bend in the road hid the Gacktpoid castle until he was past that point, and when he finally lay his eyes on it, he stopped and took a moment to look at it.

It seemed to have been sculpted out of the hill itself. Its base was chaotic in appearance and molded itself to the rock beneath in such a way that it was hard to tell where nature stopped and construction started. Its access was guarded by two crouched, round towers around its massive iron gate, and everywhere else it was surrounded by a tall, spiked wall. The enceinte wasn’t without any resemblance to a dragon coiled around its treasure. The building that stood in the center of it even looked like a gem, seemingly carved out of one block of dark, shiny obsidian. As it was now, standing in the night, it looked like a reflection of the sky and it was hard for Kaito, even with his vampire night vision, to distinguish it from the later. He couldn’t imagine what a fright it might be for a human to accidentally stumble upon it, even in the middle of the day.

He was terrified himself, but only because he knew that he had to go in it. He wanted nothing more than to turn heels and pretend that he had nothing to do there, but that wasn’t an option. His sire had made it abundantly clear that if he was to do such a thing, she would know, and then she would track him down and kill him in the most painful way he could imagine – pain that would make the severing he had suffered seem like nothing. He knew what she was capable of for having seen it firsthand.

In other words, he had to go in there.

He checked how much time he had until he had to take cover from the sun as if he had actually stopped for that, before he mustered some more courage and pushed forward. There still was a long way uphill until he could find shelter – even if he hesitated before calling the castle that in his mind.

As he advanced, he felt himself more and more dwarfed by the massive size of the place. The land around him was desolate at best, offering but little cover if he had wished to hide, and he couldn’t chase away the sensation that he was being watched – maybe he was, from someone sitting at the top of the highest tower. There was no sign of life other than the one given out by the wildlife nearby, that scurried at the furthest limit of his vampire perception, almost like ghosts, and there certainly was no sign of activity in the entire castle – not even a single light.

As he came nearer and nearer to the place, he was starting to make out smaller details about it that intrigued him. The one that held his attention the most where the two statues on each side of the gate, towering yet faceless figures. They were both male – a fact made clear from their lack of clothes – and had vampire wings spread out behind them on the surface of the walls – just like the castle itself, they looked like they had been sculpted right out of what was around them, and with exquisite details at that. Despite the fact that he wasn’t in the grandest of moods, Kaito found himself fascinated by them – the fact that they were both attractive helped – and wondered if they were meant to represent anyone.

Climbing up the hill took him longer than expected, to the point where, by the time he was at the feet of said statues, the sky had turned a lighter shade and was moments away from starting to redden. Whatever fear he still felt was starting to be taken over by instinct more powerful than anything else – the need to take shelter from the rising sun. It didn’t matter anymore that twelve men would have had to stand on each other’s shoulders to touch the top of the gate, or that it was made of metal as dark and smooth as glass – only resembling iron from far. He approached it with both respect and urgency but had to stop in front of it, for he didn’t know what to do next.

Suddenly, something massive clicked within the depth of the walls, and the gates slowly parted. A hearse behind it rose, revealing an inner courtyard, and then, all the way in the back, the door that lead inside opened, revealing only welcoming darkness.

The lord of the castle was inviting him in.

Kaito barely hesitated before pacing through. He paid no attention to his surroundings as he rushed to safety; the last door closed behind smoothly, with barely a sound.

Once inside, the vampire stopped and looked around, intimidated once more. He was in a great hall, vast enough to hold entire houses, lit dimly by the tiny white flames of candles on the walls. The air was cool and dry, perfect by Kaito’s standards, and he felt himself relax a little.

It was only then that his eyes landed on the lord, making the newcomer gasp in shock - but as nothing happened, he was allowed to take the other one in.

The elder vampire stood perfectly still on the other side of the hall, dressed in a simple white linen shirt and dark pants, but with a richly ornated cape over his shoulders, decorated with golden threads and gems, all of it sown to make a lace-like pattern on the dark sangria material. However, it was his face that stood out the most, a face framed by braided, long purple hair. It was ageless and of perfect proportions, with sharp features, a straight nose, and high cheekbones. There was but one thing that was soft on him, and it was his lips, full and sensual, almost too red for their color to be natural. Kaito couldn’t take his eyes off them. He had all but forgotten about the fangs behind those lips, those fangs that were rumored to have torn out more than one vampire throat, and could only think about how pleasant it might be to feel them sink in his flesh when such gorgeous lips kissed him.

This trance, luckily, only lasted for a few seconds – short enough that the lord had hopefully not noticed that something was odd about his gaze. Kaito tore his eyes off him and bowed deeply as he cast away all lustful thoughts from his mind.

“My name is Kaito,” he said. “My sire has sent me with a message for you.”

“I’ve received a message about you already,” said Gakupo. His voice was a deep baritone and hit right in that area that made heat pool in Kaito’s lower abdomen. “I had been expecting you.”

Once the shock of hearing his host’s voice had passed, Kaito straightened up and tried to compose himself. A feeling of dread came over him, replacing his inappropriate lust with worry. He was already carrying a message for him, why would his sire send a second, faster messenger to reach his destination before him? Why would she bother?

Unless Kaito had been lied to about his mission.

“Well then, are you going to keep it for yourself?” Asked the lord.

Kaito’s hands were shaking when he dug into his bag. He hated himself for it – any other child of his sire would have faced their duty without so much of a quiver. That’s why he was expendable –something she would repeat again and again to make sure that he wouldn’t forget it.

He eventually pulled the folded out to present it to the vampire lord. The red cachet with the insignia of his clan – a crow carrying a torch – rested unbroken on the envelope.

Gakupo glanced at it, his face reflecting nothing of whatever emotion he might feel before he turned around and started to walk away. “I will read that in a more suitable room.”

“Oh, right,” said Kaito, before immediately feeling stupid for having spoken.

He quickly hurried after the other, that seemed to move forward as if standing on a carpet of wind, his cape gently floating behind him. Beneath it, Kaito could glean a little of Gakupo’s wings and held his breath when he saw but their tips. Those only started to grow on vampires after they had breached a certain power cap, and Kaito wasn’t even remotely close to that point.

He was so laughable next to the lord of Gacktpoid. He had short blue hair and blue eyes, but outside of those somewhat remarkable traits, he didn’t see anything particularly mesmerizing about himself. At least he wasn’t ugly, scarred or deformed in some way and on most days that was enough. In fact, he was rather well-proportioned, but he didn’t see what appeal one might find in his slim limbs and his soft-looking face. To top that off, he had spent the three last days sleeping in a hole in the ground and was covered in grim. His only saving grace was that he couldn’t stink of sweat – he would have had to have a living body for that.

Not that he should be caring about what he looked like when there was only his host to look at him, but he couldn’t help it. His eyes settled on the vampire a few paces ahead. This was the nearest he had been since they met and just that made him feel weak in the knees. He had heard that younger vampires were easily overwhelmed by the sheer presence of older ones, but this was ridiculous – Kaito was at least fifty years old, he had thought that at this age he was past such ridiculous desires.

Yet, he was so enthralled by the other’s presence that he barely noticed where they were heading. All he retained from this walk through the castle was that it was an elegantly furnished place, lit by the same candles all over, with some sculptures, paintings, and other grand things. Eventually, they came to a door that opened in front of the lord without being touched in any way, and they stepped into an office lined with shelves full of old books and with a large, perfectly ordered desk in the middle.

Gakupo went around it and sat in a large velvet chair, that somewhat looked like a throne. Or maybe that was just Kaito projecting his fantasies on it. He always had had a thing for powerful men, much to his embarrassment.

Noticing that he was still holding the letter in his hand, he approached the other cautiously; he almost cried out in surprise when it flew out of his hands and into Gakupo’s, that broke the seal nonchalantly and started to read it. He was done with it before Kaito knew it, laying it face down on the dark wood in front of him, and rested his head on his hand.

Purple eyes pierced right through Kaito. The latter could have sworn he felt him look straight through his clothes and at his body. He understood that the lord was trying to check his mind, inspecting him for blemishes. The sensation almost made him drop to his knees as pleasant heat spread through his stomach once more.

“Do you know why you are here?” asked the lord.

It took the blue-haired vampire a few moments to collect his thoughts and formulate a coherent response. “I was tasked to bring a message.”

“Miku orphaned you,” he replied. “One does not simply cut their link with their child just for some casual correspondence. Now, forget what she told you; why do you think she sent you?”

Kaito closed his eyes in an attempt to calm himself. This couldn’t be happening. “She did that... because didn’t think that I would be coming back.”

There was a silence afterward, so the blue-haired vampire risked opening his eyes again, only to see that the lord was reading the letter again, this time with a frown.

He jumped when Gakupo raised form his seat and came around the desk to stand in front of him. He moved so smoothly that it was like he wasn’t even disturbing the air. He was now within arm’s reach; Kaito felt his head spin and desire coursed through his veins.

“You can’t be older than a hundred years old,” said the lord.

“Fifty-four,” breathed out the younger vampire.

“And she orphaned you.”

“Yes.” By Orion, Gakupo’s voice was resonating through his entire body in the most sensual of ways. He wanted to crumble to his knees and start begging... for what, he didn’t know.

Mercifully, the older vampire then stepped away, and Kaito’s thoughts could finally clear, if only by a little. He used what remained of his lucidity to latch on a painting on a wall, that represented a beautiful she-vampire with her wings spread, carrying a torch. Her face was proud and regal, but Kaito would have sworn that she was judging him and his weakness.

“Your sire is probably the most infuriating vampire that I know,” said Gakupo, having sat in his chair again. “You are right when you say that she is not expecting you to come back. Knowing her, she will most likely try to kill you if you do, as you would have proven yourself useless to her.”

Focusing on his hate for Miku helped with keeping his mind off the vampire in front of him; his fists tightened as his thoughts cleared just enough for him to formulate his response. “If I ever go back, I will make sure that I am the first one that throws myself at her with my fangs out.”

Gakupo frowned and tilted his head ever-so-slightly, intrigued, but the emotion only appeared for the briefest of a moment before he switched back to his usual cold expression. “I take that you are not in the friendliest of terms.”

“Why would she send me otherwise?”

“That’s true.” Gakupo sighed. “She is a cunning one. She knows that it would be hard for me to refuse her offer in those conditions.”

A wave of fear washed over Kaito upon hearing those last words. He had had a nagging suspicion over the last few days but had always pushed it away quickly, refusing to let it grow into its own train of thoughts.

“Vampire honor demands that a gift should be returned with a favor of equal value,” continued the lord. “A lord must always be careful about who offers them gifts. Yet if I do that again, she’ll kill you, making me partly responsible for your death...”

Kaito was almost sure now, but he needed to know. “Is... is the gift me?”

Gakupo nodded. If Kaito would have been alive, he would have fainted – he only felt himself become suddenly weak. He had endured the pain of severing the link to Miku because he had thought that this meant being finally free, but he had only escaped the talons of the falcon to be handed over to the eagle. He should have tried his luck and run away, even if that meant living a short life on the run. What an idiot he had been.

The only thing that had improved was that the older vampire wasn’t linked with him, and hence couldn’t read his emotions, but he had no idea about what could have worsened – not yet at least.

“Believe me,” said the lord, “I would let you run free if I didn’t know for a fact that she would send her hounds after you the moment she knew of it – it is more than likely that she has been monitoring your every move already. You are going to have to stay here for a while – at least until she got whatever she has been so desperate to get for the last two hundred years.”

“What will you do with me?” asked Kaito. He didn’t know if he wanted to know the answer.

“Nothing.”

That took a moment to sink in. “What?”

“I said, I will do nothing to you. I am a different person than your sire, I have no interest in breaking people or playing mind games with my victims.” He picked up the letter again. “Of course, she had to mention that she picked you for your liking of men. There is no question about the sort of _use_ she thought I might have for you.”

The promise that he wouldn’t hurt him somewhat calmed Kaito, and the sort of images suggested by what followed made his lust flare anew. Being offered to some beautiful man might have some appeal to it, that was if he was entirely shameless and depraved. He quickly chased away those thoughts for what seemed to be the hundredth time since he had met Gakupo.

“Thank you,” muttered Kaito.

“Don’t thank me. It’s the least I can do.” He stood up slowly. “The sun will rise over the horizon any moment now, I might as well show you to your quarters for the night. You must have had a long journey, and with all those curves your former sire threw you though, you must be eager to rest.”

“I would be eternally grateful if you feel so inclined as to host me for the day.” Back in the time before Miku had declared him a failure, she had dedicated a lot of time to make polite responses in him automatic.  He had the impression that this was the longest sentence he had been able to utter since he had been standing near the older vampire.

Gakupo passed him, and the younger vampire had all his thoughts chased away when he caught a whiff of the other’s perfume. It was subtle, yet spicy – male. He had never smelled anything like it, but he knew what it was: the taste of old, powerful vampire blood. He felt his fangs come down, ready to sink into flesh. He needed to will them back in their sockets before following his host.

Once again, the trip through the castle passed in a blur of colors, as all he could focus on was the vampire with him. He wondered if anyone else lived here, and hoped that, if they did, they didn’t all have the same effect on him – he hoped not. He also hoped that with time he would learn to suppress all those impulses so that he could have a normal conversation with Gakupo, or even just to stop making a fool of himself. He was growing more and more certain that the other must have noticed his lust by now and was only refraining from commenting on it out of politeness, or maybe he was simply used to this reaction from vampires that were younger than him.

He was pulled out of his trance for the last time when another door opened on its own and the lord stepped to the side to let him enter. They had been going down quite a lot of stairs and Kaito estimated that they must be below the level of the ground, even if it was hard to tell when there wasn’t a single window to check. He took a look around the room that was offered to him.

It was rather simple, but a closer look revealed the quality of each object within. The carpet was of a rich red, cushiony enough that the foot might sink it in, and on it stood an elegant little table surrounded by two chairs. There was a beautiful painting hung on one of the walls, showing a human army lead by a vampire with her wings spread over the moon and brandishing a banner soaked in blood – unless it was a banner of blood, it was hard to tell. In one corner there was a closed door, and in the other, the darkest, most inviting one, was a sumptuous wooden coffin, ready to shelter him for the night. Kaito was immediately drawn to it as the tiredness in his limbs made itself known.

“Here is the bathroom,” said Gakupo, pointing to the other door. “It should be furnished with all the necessities. All that is in this room is at your disposal. You may request for more furniture to be brought in for you if you want, or have the decoration changed. Do make yourself at home for as long as you will be staying here.”

“Thank you,” managed to utter Kaito. “It’s wonderful.” He turned to the lord and bowed to him. “I am eternally grateful for your kindness. I don’t have much, but there is anything that I may do to repay you I would be more than happy to do it.”

There was an odd silence that prompted the younger vampire to raise his head for a glance. There was a look he couldn’t place on Gakupo’s face, but it made a shiver of want course through him. The eye contact was broken almost immediately when the older vampire looked away to close the door.

“Rest well,” he said.

And then Kaito found himself alone, wondering what that had been about. He would have spent a long time debating with himself if it had not been for the pressing feeling that the sun, somewhere above the level of the ground, had just darted its first rays across the land, and the tiredness that accompanied that moment weighted him down. He took off his clothes, used a comb to get rid of the dirt that still clung to his hair from the day before, and slipped into the coffin. Death-like sleep overtook him almost as soon as the lid was locked.


	2. Chapter 2

Gakupo stopped the moment he was sure that the youngling wouldn’t be able to perceive him anymore and leaned against a wall, letting out a long sigh. He slipped a tongue over his outstretched fangs, teasing the nerve bundle at the base – those nerves that were responsible for the pleasure of feeding on a warm, pulsing neck. Curse Miku. She had picked her gift well, and now misplaced desire coursed through his veins. He took a moment to wait for the heat in his stomach to fade.

Poor little thing. Kaito had been obviously terrified the entire time of the interview. He kept glancing at Gakupo’s mouth, trying to get a peek at his deadly fangs, and he had looked about to fall over at any moment. Little did he know how alluring his scent had been – of earth and forest, maybe, but with a touch of something sweet, like a cake. And the way he moved – quickly, by bursts, like a bird – captured all of his host’s attention. Gakupo had been tempted to lead him straight to his own room and take him as he pleased, tying him to his convenience and exploring that elegant body of his.

Him, gallantly saving a youngling’s life by sparring him death at the hands of his sire? What a joke. Should the gift had been female, or less attractive, he would have had to qualms sending him back to his death. Accepting a present from Miku strung his pride, and Aldebaran knew how highly he thought of himself, but the idea that such a beautiful little thing would vanish forever was unbearable. If Kaito knew of his true intentions, there was no doubt in Gakupo’s mind that he would run the other way as fast as he could – which of course was a bad idea, given that a vampire’s hunting instincts were triggered by fleeing prey.

He slowly pulled his fangs back in their stealth, composing himself. The others weren’t going to like the news at all. They hardly had the power to go against what he decided, but that wouldn’t stop them from complaining. He could sense one of them already lurking nearby, just waiting for his permission to talk to him, and he was bracing himself for what was to come.

“Is something the matter, Luka?” He asked.

The younger male was at his side so quickly that it was like as if he had appeared out of thin air. “That’s Miku’s spawn you just let into our castle,” he spat.

Gakupo nodded as he started to walk, forcing the other to follow him. The latter was a beautiful vampire with pink hair, a heart-shaped face, and vivid blue eyes. He wore a see-through light green shirt and high-waist white pants, making no secret of his athletic body. The vampire lord was extremely proud of how strong his pupil had grown over the years, even if such strength meant that he was ready to call him out when he did stupid things – and he had certainly done something stupid just now.

“I believe that you are right,” he answered diplomatically.

“What is he even doing here? You need to throw him out in the sun right away.”

Gakupo let a smile play on his lips. “Are you scared of some fifty-year-old youngling?”

“Not of him, obviously,” scoffed Luka. “I could tear his throat out with my pinkie. I’m more concerned about what the Core Miku is planning this time. Also, don’t think I haven’t noticed that you didn’t answer my question, I’m not a hundred years old anymore.”

This was the moment the lord had been dreading. “He’s here because he was offered to me.”

The other’s eyes widened in shock. “And you accepted a gift from Miku? I thought—“ He covered her face with his hands and groaned. “Please don’t tell me you said yes because he’s hot.”

“What would you do if did say yes because he’s hot?” He replied with a smile.

“Gakupo!” He cried. “You can’t let yourself be swayed by a pair of pretty eyes! What the core is _wrong_ with you? Can’t you see that you are doing what she wants?”

He hit the nail on the head, but Gakupo didn’t let his words affect him. “You are hardly the one in the best position to make that sort of reproaches to me. With your track record—“

“Leave Meiko out of this conversation or you will regret it,” he growled.

“That still leaves us with,” he counted on his fingers, “Marie, Leon, Emma, Charlotte, Bruce, Matilda, Caroline...”

“Stop it! None of them were linked to a manipulative little bitch like Miku!”

“And so is Kaito,” he replied. “She orphaned him.”

“Only to make you lower your guard!” He got in front of the lord and jabbed a finger in his chest. “This woman is bat-shit crazy, she will stop at nothing.”

“My guard isn’t lowered one bit. Kaito poses no threat to anyone in this castle even if he wanted to, and I will treat Miku with as much caution as I always did. You know that she’s been trying to gain our friendship – whatever that means for her – for the last two hundred years. It could be that she just wants to be able to cross our lands without having us attacking her. If she starts asking for too much or starts acting shadily, we’ll deal with her as we have in the past, and that will be that.”

“And you’ll get to keep your little lovebite,” said the other bitterly.

“You almost sound jealous of him.” Gakupo chuckled. “Sadly, you can’t always be in the center of my attention.”

“I can’t believe that you feel for a pair of pretty eyes,” he sighed, exasperated, ignoring the taunt. “Aren’t you too old for that?”

“You know I tease you, it’s not like he and I will be rolling in the hay any time soon. I am only offering him shelter until he can leave safely. The poor thing is absolutely terrified of me, and forcing myself on him is out of the question.”

“How noble of you,” he snapped, “We both know that you can get him to roll on his back with his legs spread for you under a week.”

“It wouldn’t be this easy even if I wanted to, Luka. Have you ever thought about the type of things he must have gone through to willingly let himself be orphaned? All he must have known his entire life was how older vampires could use him to their leisure and throw him away when they were done with him. You know how Miku is.”

The other didn’t reply right away, but when he did, he was much calmer. “Very well then, I see that there is no convincing you, but just because I will tolerate it doesn’t mean that I approve of this. Don’t speak of this further. Just because he’s a poor little orphan doesn’t mean that I will like him. For me, he’s a Hatsune.”

“I didn’t expect any more from you. I promise that this is all temporary, he will be moving out of this room before you know it.”

“If you had but one care for me,” muttered the pink-haired vampire, “he would be moving out right now.”

Gakupo laid a gentle kiss on his forehead. “Don’t give me that, you know I love you more. Trust me. When was the last time that I let my desire overrun my vigilance?”

“But Miku...”

“Why are you so upset about her anyway? She might be quite terrifying for younglings and humans, but you and I are an entire another league on our own. There is nothing she can do to hurt you. Or is there?”

Luka remained quiet, before shaking his head.

“Let me handle this for all of us.” Added Gakupo. “I know that my title as a lord is only temporary, but I am at least capable of handling such a minor situation. So, please try to be kind to him?”

“I just said—“

“I didn’t say love him. Just... don’t scare him more than he is already.”

“... I’ll try.”

“Thank you. Now, I believe that we should all get some rest. The sun is high already.”

The youngest nodded and vanished, leaving Gakupo alone. The latter sighed and was on his way, sure that a good day of rest would make the entire situation better.


	3. Chapter 3

The next day, Kaito woke up to the scent of blood tickling his nose. He was hungry but was taken aback by the fact that he was laying in a coffin that he didn’t know. Even in complete darkness, he could tell from the way sound bounced off the walls and the fact that the padding at the bottom felt different on his back.

His memory, thankfully, was quick, and he recalled the events of the night before. The memory of lord Gakupo, his presence, his scent, his eyes, assaulted him and he felt himself become weak from that alone. By Orion, the man was having this sort of effect on him when he wasn’t even there – or was he?

Kaito fiddled with the lock and opened the coffin to take a look around, but noticed that he was quite alone in his room. A tray with a carafe full of vermillion blood and an elegant wine glass had been laid on the table for him, but whoever had brought it in had left without leaving a smell that might identify them.

Not that he cared when the blood itself smelled delicious. He had fed yesterday, but vampires his age were known for feeding frequently and he was no exception. Barely remembering that he had taken off all his clothes last night, he hopped out of bed and went to serve himself.

Drinking from a glass had its perks and its inconveniences. It certainly was different than having to force down a victim to bite them, but he would miss sinking his fangs in living flesh if that was the only way he went about it. He was certain that this one was artificial, but it still felt like a waste to leave it to coagulate, so he made sure to drink it all even after his hunger had receded. A good walk would burn it all properly anyway.

Having noticed that he had no clothes, he looked around to discover that his old ones had been taken away and replaced by fresh folded ones. He picked them up and went for a quick wash in the bathroom, taking the time to inspect it in more details as he had only skimmed over it last night.

It was just as gorgeous as his room, albeit of more modest size. Vampires did not need to use the toilet, so there was none there, but there was a sink and a shower carbine vast enough to hold four to five men comfortably; he discovered that the wooden bottom could be remove to reveal a tub and that shutters could be pulled from their niche in the walls so that he wouldn’t get water all over the floor.

He left the water on cold to wash, not being the type that liked hot water at all – generally, all vampires preferred cool temperatures although they were exceptions – and scrubbed off the grim of his journey. Once the mucky water was down the drain, he chose a shampoo out of the selection of bottles by smelling them all and picked one that reminded him of some herbs he liked when he was still human. He wondered if Gakupo liked that smell too, before chastising himself for letting his thoughts wander this way again.

After making sure that his hair was back to the vibrant blue it used to have, he stepped out of the shower, dried himself using the softest towel he had been given to touch in his life, got dressed and left his room for some exploration.

Walking the hallways without Gakupo was a blessing, for he had missed many beautiful sights and pieces of art. They were sculpted out of the very corners of rooms or standing on pedestal, stretching across wide canvases or represented across brilliant tapestries, their vivid colours fully flourishing in the light of the ever-present pale flames of the candles. But they weren’t the only thing of beauty in the castle: more than once, Kaito found himself gawking at sumptuous crystal chandeliers and high archways, or walking across vast, beautiful rooms. The wonders of the Gacktpoid castle were seemingly endless. How wonderous it must be, to live forever in the midst of so many beautiful things.

He wandered aimlessly, only paying mind not to get lost and exploring one place at the time, but didn’t meet anyone or even sensed where they might be. He had forgotten where Gakupo’s office was and if there was anyone else living there, they didn’t manifest themselves. Many doors that lead to rooms were locked, not that he minded or tried to force them, and he was left to look at everything wonderful that met his eye; this was entertainment enough for now. Besides, he was starting to recognise some of the faces that kept coming back, which hinted at them being real vampires that resided within those walls, or at least had in the past.

One painting in particular caught his attention. It showed five gorgeous young people sitting in the shade of what appeared to be a forest, in full daylight, despite the fact that two men that seemed to be in a couple at the centre were vampires by the wings on their backs. Three nymphs laid at their feet, their hands stretched out to reach for the night creatures, their throats and breast bare, but the two didn’t pay any attention to them as they seemed to be about to share a kiss. One of the vampires was dressed in a transparent silk robe, that revealed all what laid beneath and reddish little flowers, like drops of blood, were braided in his pink hair. The other one had brown short hair, and was dressed in a tight-fitting red garment that spilled on the grass around him like the plucked petals of a rose and opened on the side so high that it was just shy of revealing his manhood.

Kaito had rarely seen this amount of sexual energy in one painting, and for some reason that amused him greatly. He hoped that he would get to meet whoever had commissioned this piece; someone that dared hanging something this erotic on a wall commanded his respect. He wandered on.

Another piece was quick to command his attention; just a glimpse of purple locks drew him in like a magnet. Just looking at it made his head feel light and his knees weak. He remained absolutely hypnotized.

This was indeed Gakupo, a bare-chested Gakupo with his hair down, sitting on a seat draped with a dark sheet. Two slim and youthful men sat on each of his knees, resting their heads on his shoulders, seemingly asleep save for the twin puncture marks on their necks, from which a drop of blood ran. A second cloth hid the nudity of the three of them but hung on their hips low enough to reveal that they wore nothing under. The vampire lord looked straight at the viewer, as if challenging them to take his prey away from him or join them, and Kaito had to admit that he was terribly tempted to do the latter.

Did all vampires at Gacktpoid castle like to hang naked pictures of themselves on the wall, or was it just those two?

Kaito had to tear himself from the sight and walk on when he realized that lust was starting to work its magic on him again. He had already established that there was no point in pinning after lord Gakupo. The less he saw him, the less he wouldn’t have to think of it. Besides, he wasn’t the only one that looked nice in the paintings.

Come to think of it, there were indeed a lot of men in said paintings. And in the sculptures. And to be honest, once he had walked around enough to see a hundred of them, he was starting to notice that they all seemed to fit within a certain category of men: the rather slim, blue haired one.

He narrowed his eyes at a statue of Gakupo slaying a dragon. Either he was terribly wrong in his assumptions, either a certain _someone_ had a type.

He didn’t really know how he felt about that. He couldn’t help but notice that he fit lord’s castle taste to a t, but what were the odds that this just happened? Gakupo said that it was probable that Miku wanted something from him and that was why she sent him as a gift. Had she been so meticulous as to tailor that gift to Gakupo’s taste? Did that mean that this is what she had intended to do with him the whole time – orphan him and gift him?

As mad as it might seem, the more he thought of it the more it made sense. She had always treated his siblings differently than he, had always been more forgiving of their mistakes, especially those mistakes concerned politeness and proper conduct. She had spent hours teaching him what sort of reverence one did in which situation, and what sort of authors one talked about in good society. She kept saying that she had taught it all to her other children, yet it was clear that she had not. And she always insisted on him keeping his hair in a certain style, and for him to chose certain clothes – clothes that looked eerily similar to the one that had been brought to him this morning. The mere thought that his life had been a lie made him sick to his stomach. He had thought himself free when she had sent him away, only to find that he wasn’t much more than another piece to be placed in someone else’s gallery – a gift! Never had any noun seemed crueller than in that moment.

Yet, at the same time, that dark part of him was thrilled. Maybe he did have a chance with the beautiful, unreadable lord. As much as he hated Miku, she had willingly put in his hands the tools to seduce him – or so he could hope. He could—

But he won’t. Because he was a gift; how could Gakupo see him as anything else? If Kaito went down that past, used that opportunity to get what he wanted – what some parts of him wanted despite himself – then the lord wouldn’t see him as anything else but what had been intended for him by Miku: a pretty trinket to use to his liking before throwing him away when his interest ran out.

And he’s been used enough. Period. There would be no special Gakupo seduction plan, no pinning, no admiring from afar, no swooning, unless maybe the vampire lord could prove that he did care about Kaito—

No! Nothing! No maybe, no but, no perhaps, no special clauses. He was only there until it was safe for him to leave, then he will leave and finally be free. He was grateful that Gakupo was willing to take him under his protection, and if there was anything he could do to repay him he would – even if he doubted there was anything he could do for a man that clearly had it all, perfect lips, silky hair and striking eyes included. There was nothing more to it, and there would never me.

Having reached a satisfactory conclusion to his thoughts, he resumed his browsing. There were many different styles and subjects to look at, and he was entertained a few hours more, even going back to some of the pieces that struck him as the most impressive. He was only careful with avoiding the one with the two young men and the bare-chested Gakupo, not wanting to think about him all over again.

It was by pure coincidences that he stumbled upon the first living creature he had seen since this morning. Shocked to find out that he wasn’t as alone as he thought, he stopped and looked at the girl for several long moments.

She was a youthful-looking vampire, dressed in a short bright orange dress with ruffles and polka-dots that suited her green hair. Her limbs were thin and delicate, giving her a deceptively fragile look, for she was old enough to have dark green wings sprout from her back. She didn’t seem to be aware of him from the way she kept on walking, and the reason for that became quickly evident: big, opaque goggles were covering her eyes.

Or so he thought that she was unaware of his presence, for she stopped and gestured for him to come. “Len,” she said, “Len, come and see, they are working! Oh boy, I can’t believe that the old ether-system is still intact.” She turned around, looking at something that Kaito couldn’t see. “Why did this technology fall out of fashion? It’s brilliant! Len, come here.”

Not wanting to disobey a vampire that was far older than him, but at the same time not knowing what to say, he approached her. She reached out of him confidently and grabbed him, dragging him behind her as she started to walk.

“Listen, you have got to see this. Someone installed a petting station in one of the ballrooms and the animals are still all there! I’ve petted some sort of blob for _at least_ three hours. And there were hecking pecking chickens. Chickens! Rin would have screamed.”

It was obvious that this girl thought that he was someone else and he had no idea how to break it to her that he wasn’t, so he let himself get dragged along while trying his best not to trip over his feet. This was the most bizarre situation he had ever been in, and it didn’t help that he had no idea what she was talking about.

She dragged him to one of the large room he had come across earlier, and started to enthusiastically point towards an empty place in space. “Look! It’s like—oh but I’m stupid, I forgot you don’t have a pair on—let me just—“

She took off her googles, revealing green eyes, and for the first time looked at him directly.

She let go of his arm and jumped back so fast that it was blurry even to his vampire senses, and then came an awkward, tense moment where they both remained utterly still. Her eyes quickly scanned him, before she relaxed, and then he knew that he wasn’t going to get in trouble and let out a breath.

She started to laugh. “Oh, Strat’,” she said, “I totally thought you were someone else. You must be Kaito – sorry about dragging you, it must have looked so rude – I’m Gumi by the way.”

“Oh, well, I’m—“ he was about to offer his name, realized she had just mentioned it, and stopped talking.

“Well, I mean,” she started to say, but didn’t continue.

There was a silence.

“I take that you live here?” Asked Kaito.

“Oh, yes! I’m Gakupo’s daughter – well, not the only one, but the only one around anyway. Have you met the others already?”

“No, actually. I was wondering if there was anyone else up to this point.”

“Oh—“ She chuckled. “Oh, Strat’, that’s so rude, like—Oh dear I’m embarrassed for my clan. Please don’t take it personal, we’re shy—we don’t get many visitors, and everyone don’t really know what to make of you, you know, being—well, with you being Miku’s child and all. She’s, not, really... liked.”

“Don’t worry, I totally understand your sentiment,” he answered with a closed face.

“Oh, that’s good. I mean, not that it’s good-good—“ she stopped. “Can I ask you something weird?”

Kaito was taken aback by the request. “Go ahead?”

“Okay, can I touch you and look at you really quick? It’s just, I was so curious about you ever since I heard about you from the others, but then I didn’t know how to introduce myself without making it feel forced. Pretty please?”

“Sure,” he said almost automatically.

She nodded, and latched on him. She grabbed his head and turned it around so that she could look at his face under different angles, looked into his eyes and played with his hair; she made him raise his arms around his head and her small hands touched him around his waist. He felt inspected like livestock and he hated it, but before he could protest it was all over and she was giggling.

“What’s the matter?” he asked.

“Nothing, just curious,” she said.

He felt his mood darken. “Did you do that because Miku intended me to be tailored for Lord Gakupo?”

“Oh,” she said, her eyes widening. “You know—I didn’t think—well, it doesn’t sound like her style to say those sort of things to people, but—“

“I guessed it. After looking at all those paintings with almost identical replicas of myself hung all over the place.”

She laughed. “Oh, true, we got those. Gakupo always seems shocked that everyone knows about how specific he is with his subs—I mean his men. It’s like a running joke. But don’t you think it’s romantic? Like you are destined for each other.”

A wave of cold washed over him and he tightened his fists. “I got to go,” he said, before turning around.

She gasped in shock when he just left, whispering “Oh Strat’” under her breath. She took a few steps after him before stopping completely.

He didn’t care, as long as she didn’t follow him.

Romantic? Being offered around as if he wasn’t his own person? What was wrong with this girl? And that she just assumed that he would be attracted to Gakupo as well? He still believed that he could get his own romance some day, but whatever it would be it wouldn’t look anything like that. He didn’t know the lord, he didn’t even know if he liked him as a person, and yet she had assumed that he would develop feelings for him? What happened if he never did? Would she expect them to sleep with one another regardless, just because Gakupo liked how he looked? Would she expect Kaito to let himself be raped?

And he knew that she had not meant harm when she had said that, that she was probably a little misguided about how romance worked and that he could have had simply explained it all to her, but he simply had enough. He had dealt with so much already that he wasn’t in a place where he could simply sit down and listen to some ignorant girl tell him about how he really felt. He needed space now.

So he went to his room and slammed the door behind him, hoping that every single vampire in the entire castle heard it, before tossing his clothes off in a rage and locking himself in his coffin.

He wasn’t pouting. He just needed the quiet and the dark.


	4. Chapter 4

He was drawn from his work by the distant slam of a door, which made him raise his head in alarm. This was unusual; the vampires of the Kamui clan liked their peace more than anything – which sometimes made Gumi’s experiments with old tech unwelcomed. He extended his senses to all the hallways, finding where that sound might have come from; he noticed some pacing in Kaito’s room.

He sighed. He should have guessed that it had something to do with the newcomer.

Not that he disliked him, but he had to admit to himself that he would rather not have him around out of habit. Things sort of had slipped into a routine around here a long time ago, and because of that, it was easy to want it to go on like that forever – whatever that word could mean for a vampire with an eternal life. And then there was the added element that he was the spawn of Miku, hence even more unpredictable. He didn’t feel like he wanted to interact with Kaito any more than necessary.

He kept listening to what the man was doing and heard the bang of his coffin closing, which intrigued him even more, given that it was a little early to retire for daytime. This looked like a youngling fit – Stratosphere knew he had not dealt with enough of those during his long, long life – and he sort of hoped that it would sort itself on its own, that he wouldn’t have to deal with it.

He went back to work, keeping an ear out for any sign of progress, but not to avail. Kaito did not budge, not in the next five minutes, not in the next twenty, and the lord of Gacktpoid had to come to the conclusion that whoever had provoked the man was expecting him to sort it out for them.

He sighed, rose from his desk, and made his way through the door. He had sworn himself that he would take a break from siring young vampires after the walking catastrophe that had been Gumi. He mentally added ‘expects others to raise her spawn’ to the ever-growing mental list of things he disliked about Miku before standing up to leave.

The youngling’s room was but a couple of hallways away from his office, that he might keep an ear on him. As he skimmed across them, he realized if he should have dropped by twilight to ask him about his day. He had not: at the time, he had thought that trying to establish a friendly connection would be superfluous. Now, this sort of bounding would have come in handy.

He knocked at the door, only to be answered with a growl. Wonderful. He briefly considered if it is was a ‘leave me alone’ or a ‘leave me alone or I will attack you’ growl, decided for the first and entered the room.

He stopped near the coffin and knocked on it lightly. “Kaito?” he called in a neutral voice. “Is something the matter?”

There was a brief silence. “I would like to have my traveling clothes back.”

That was an odd request. Gakupo’s eyes landed on a pile of clothes thrown in a corner of the room and suddenly realized that Kaito was probably naked in there – a realization that made him the bad type of curious. But he couldn’t understand why he wanted those old rags back, instead of the beautiful and clean clothes that had been chosen for him – in Gakupo’s favorite style, nevertheless. Did he miss home?

“They are currently being washed,” he said. “Would you like some other clothes than the one that was provided for you?”

“What?”

“I can understand that a vampire like me might have fallen out of touch with the fashion those days, but I might have something that suits your taste more.”

“Yeah, as long as it doesn’t diverge too much from your taste,” muttered the youngling.

“Excuse me?” asked Gakupo. What was that even supposed to mean?

There was a pause, then a long sigh. “I’m sorry for my misplaced words. I’m just a little upset right now, I’ll be better in a while.”

“Has something happen?” asked the lord.

“Not really, I am just... musing over stuff that happened. Your hospitality is wonderful. Everything is so beautifully decorated... and your daughter is very nice.”

“You’ve met Gumi?”

“Yes.”

Okay, he could see where this might have gone wrong. He promised himself that he would go and speak to her later, to know what this might be about. For now, it was time to be a good host.

“I have something to do,” said the lord, “but if you wish, I will come back in a short while, and I can show you to the library. Can you read?”

There was a light, almost repressed but not quite, scoff from the coffin. “I have been taught by Miku herself. She wouldn’t have had it any other way.”

The fact that he was taught as a vampire and not as a human made Gakupo wonder what sort of life he led before having been turned. He could ask this later, though. For now, he guessed that his guest might want to come out of his hiding place so that he could get dressed again.

“Very well,” said Gakupo. “I’ll have some different clothes sent to you.”

“Oh, don’t bother. It was just... a whim. I’ll wear the same clothes again, they are quite lovely.”

“Whatever you wish to do,” replied the lord as he left the room.

Gakupo didn’t care if he wore the clothes that were given to him or not – he didn’t even view Kaito’s initial rejection as an insult to his tastes – but he did wonder how they had gained such importance. This was a very odd mystery indeed. He hoped Gumi would be able to bring further explanations to the subject.

Talking about Gumi, she must have sensed that he was thinking about her, for she was trying her very best diminish their link – as if that trick had ever worked during the three hundred years of her life. He rolled his eyes and called her to him through their connection. He had to repeat that twice for her to stop pretending as if she had not heard him, and then she joined him in one of the ballrooms.

She didn’t look too proud of herself. Seeing her with her head lowered, feeling her distress instantly mellowed him up and she knew it. That was the problem with her: she was terrible in any sort of subtility, didn’t think before she acted and had way too much energy, but was a master at pulling his heartstrings. He adored her.

She perked up when she felt his change of mood, and he had to repress a laugh. He was supposed to be scolding her, Core be damned. She would never receive a proper education if he kept getting soft on her, but he couldn’t help it.

“I’m still expecting some good explanations, young lady,” he said.

She puffed her cheeks. “I didn’t do anything bad this time.”

“I just came back from Kaito’s room and he locked himself in his coffin naked, saying that he wanted his traveling clothes back. Once he calmed down, he said that he had talked to you.”

“Oh,” she said, embarrassed. “Well, about that...”

So she did knew what all that was about. “Gumi...”

“It’s not about me. I didn’t do anything, I swear, but I don’t really know how to tell you that... well...”

“Tell me what? You can tell me, I won’t be upset.”

“Well,” she started. Breathed in. “He thinks you’re ugly.”

“What?” Gakupo reached through their link to her and felt that she wasn’t lying. “He told you that?”

“He didn’t need words to make it clear as source water. He was so upset that he suddenly stormed off.”

There were many things that he was willing to tolerate. A bit of a sharp tone, a fit over some clothes, or even being the spawn of one of his enemies was fine by him, he had wealth of patience to deal with that. But insulting him in front of his daughter was a step over what he was going to take: he was mad. It glowed like red embers from deep within him, not strong enough to explode – he had too much control over himself to let that happen – but hot enough to burn those that came to close.

“I’m sorry that it can’t work out,” she said.

“Can’t work out? Gumi, what are you talking about?”

“Between you and him!” She said.

“Between—oh, do you say that because of why he’s here?”

“Wasn’t he given to you?”

He tilted his head. “Who told you that?”

“Luka.”

“Ah, that makes sense. I got to stop you right there though. If he’s here, it’s as a guest, Gumi. Not as my belonging. And considering where he is coming from, it wouldn’t be a good idea to keep showing him that all vampires treat him as their belonging.”

“Oh, because Miku...”

“Exactly.”

She frowned and seemed to get lost in her thoughts. Gakupo didn’t have access to those through their link, but he was hoping that she was coming to a better understanding of Kaito.

Not that the lord was willing to cut him any slack after hearing what the other thought of him. Of course, he did not actually care about what Kaito, out of all people, could think of him. He was just upset because, well, he had done it to Gumi, and that was rude. Was that how he was rewarded after taking him in his home, feeding him and clothing him?

And what was the point with those clothes anyway? Gakupo had excellent tastes when it came to clothing. He had not seen Kaito in them, but he was sure that he looked fine. But instead, this ungrateful little water-sucker wanted to wear those rags he had come in with, the clothes given to him by Miku rather than his gifts.

“Gakupo?” called Gumi.

He snapped out of his inner rant and looked at her. She seemed worried.

“Is something the matter?” He asked in a calm voice, wanting to make sure that she knew that he wasn’t mad at her.

“You’ve been acting weird ever since he came. I don’t know why but...”

“Ah.” He was acting weird? He took a mental step back and examined himself in the last twenty-four hours. He might have. “I’m just a little on the nerves. This is an unexpected situation.”

She nodded, but he could sense that she was only half convinced. She probably thought that he was a little off because he was attracted to Kaito and, when talking about the purely physical level, she was right. But it was all superficial. After all, on the emotional level, he was entirely unaffected by him.

“I am going back to see him,” he said. “I promised that I would show him the library, at least the part that he may see. He might as well have something to do until the others stop watching him from afar and start entertaining him with their conversation. One can hardly wander around the halls looking at those dusty paintings forever.”

“You won’t be... mad at him?”

He sensed that she was worried, and that softened him. Gumi was a soft-hearted vampire: she was probably worried about Kaito because she wanted to befriend it.

“I am a little mad, but I’ll keep it to myself,” he answered. “Don’t worry. I won’t decapitate him, I promised.”

She nodded, looked like she was about to say something, then changed her mind. “I will trust you on this one,” she said instead.

He chuckled and ruffled her green hair, before making his exit and going back to fetch the impertinent youngling.

 


	5. Chapter 5

It was covered in shame that Kaito crawled out of his coffin. He was certain that he had made an utter fool of himself in front of his host. He swore to himself that he wouldn’t throw such a tantrum next time.

He rubbed his face. Hot damn though, this had been such a weird situation. He had felt himself grow hard from the simple fact that the other was near him while he was without clothes. Where was his resolution about how he wouldn’t be attracted to Gakupo when he needed it the most? It had taken all his self-control not to imagine him leaning over the coffin, so close that his potent scent had slipped through the cracks and filled Kaito’s nose. Replying normally had been beyond what he had thought himself capable of. He could only hope that the other had not noticed anything weird.

He got dressed quickly, not wanting to get caught without clothes again, and waited for Gakupo to come back as he promised by slipping outside and going to inspect a painting in the hallway. Not that his eyes registered what he was looking at: his mind was too busy with other things.

He was still uncertain whether or not he was comfortable about falling right in the niche of Gakupo’s tastes. To be fair, just the thought of catching the attention of a creature as old and powerful as the lord had something scary. He didn’t have access to his feelings like Miku did, and hence couldn’t manipulate him in that way, but that was but a small consolation. If Kaito provoked his fury – or his passion – he was as helpless as a leaf in the midst of a hurricane. That was the scariest part of it all.

He became aware of someone standing near him and turned to the lord of Gacktpoid with a polite bow. He avoided looking at him, but already was his presence working its dark magic on him.

“Come,” said Gakupo, and he turned sharply on his heels.

Kaito winced. The tone left no doubt that he was mad about something. It was a little odd, considering that when they had last parted, he had not shown any emotion of the sort.

The situation was a mess. Kaito was intrigued, but at the same time, he couldn’t help but notice how wide and powerful the other’s shoulders were when he turned his back to him, or how long and beautiful his hair was. He had never been one for long locks, but now he wanted nothing more but to run his hand along their length. Imagining that made heat pool between his legs, so he stopped.

They walked, Gakupo in the front, Kaito in the back, for the length of several hallways and went down a couple of stairs, before a door that Kaito had not had the time to check opened in front of them and they found themselves in said library. As expected from such a grandiose castle, it was magnificent.

It was built like a literal well of knowledge, plunging down into the earth with bookshelves lining its contour. But the most amazing part of it was the balconies and the bridges that extended from one wall to another, with tables and seats just waiting for a reader to rest on them. Chandeliers hooked to the ceiling with chains lit the place entirely.

Kaito gasped at the sight and approached the edge to look all the way down. The bottom was occupied by a lounge, but that was a drop as high as a building. Just how big was the Gacktpoid castle, that it may house such a place? The Hatsune hold, where he had lived up to now, was quite an impressive place on its own, but this was an entirely other league.

“It’s amazing,” he said.

Gakupo just shrugged, still in that odd mood from before from the look on his face. “Shall I show you the different sections?”

Kaito nodded. “I would love to, if I may steal a little more of your time.”

“It’s not a bother,” he replied curtly.

Kaito followed him down some narrow metal stairs down a few floods, then on to a bridge that sat squarely in the middle of the library. The center of it was larger than its ends, so much so that a round table could sit there without hindering passage. Gakupo stopped next to it to start his explanation.

“All the books of the library are classified by type and subject,” he explained, “and are ordered by author within those sections. It means that they all have an assigned spot, but you shouldn’t worry about putting them back in the same place: we have some installations that take care of those sort of things every day. Just leave the book on a table or a seat to show that you are not reading it anymore, and it will be back in its spot the next night. Please don’t try to put them back on the shelves if you are not sure of where they are going, that’s how we lose books.”

Gakupo went on to talk about each section, and what sort of literature he was to expect from each of them – he must have done that a lot throughout his life because it was as if he was reciting a text he knew by heart. Kaito listened to the best of his abilities, but then other thoughts came to distract him and he started to fall behind the explanations.

The first parasite thought came when he realized that they were both very alone with each other and that Gakupo’s voice was still as lovely as always. He knew how to retain attention, and the younger of the two was sure that everything would be as clear as day if he was listening instead of looking at the lord’s lips moving.

Kaito knew, somewhere at the back of his mind, that he was going against his earlier resolutions, but he couldn’t help it. Gakupo drew him in like a magnet, being what he was, powerful, beautiful and knowledgeable. The youngest wished he had even but a fraction of his charisma, but he didn’t, so all there was for him to do was admire the other.

“Is everything clear?” suddenly asked Gakupo, his purple eyes fixating themselves on Kaito.

That jerked him back to reality. “Yes, of course,” he said. “Crystal clear.”

The lord didn’t seem to believe him at all but didn’t press further. “I’ll be going back to my office then.” And he turned around to leave.

“Wait!” Called Kaito.

The older vampire stopped and looked back at him, his eyebrow crooked.

“I just wanted to say...” Kaito had trouble focusing on his words when looking at him, so he looked away, to a point behind Gakupo, to talk. “I wanted to thank you. For what you did for me, letting me stay here when you don’t know. It’s wonderful. I mean, look at this library! I never saw anything like that in my entire life.”

Gakupo’s face darkened. “I supposed that you would feel so,” he said in a snarky tone.

“Well, yes, evidently,” answered Kaito, taken aback. “You could have sent me back, or decided to take... Miku’s present... fully.” His mind, always ready to strike him with inappropriate pictures, produced one of Gakupo doing just that, making the younger vampire blush.

“I supposed that you would be grateful that you don’t have to bear sleeping with someone ugly,” snapped Gakupo.

“What?” Asked Kaito. “Who is ugly?”

“Oh please,” snapped the older vampire. “I know that everyone is entitled to their opinion, but you could have avoided badmouthing me to my own daughter. She told me what you thought about me right after. Is that Miku’s plan? Creating discord in my household by slandering my appearance?”

“What I thought of you?” Now Kaito was confused. “I never said anything of the sort.”

“So, you are saying that my own child would lie to me? A vampire, lying to their sire? Is that what you expect me to believe?”

“No!” Kaito shook his head to emphasise. “There must have been some sort of misunderstanding. I would never think of you as ugly!”

That stopped Gakupo square in his tracks, his mood switching from annoyed to interested from one moment to the others. “Oh? Is that so?”

Kaito realized that he had let those words slip despite himself. Time to backpaddle. “Well, I think you’re old.” Crap, that didn’t help.

It was Gakupo’s turn to be confused. “What does that even mean?”

“Why does that even matter? I don’t think that you are ugly, I won’t comment further.”

Kaito was doing his best to appear nonchalant about the subject, and he was failing if the slow, predatory smile from the older vampire was anything to go by. It would have been the smile of a cat that had caught a mouse, if cats could smile. The younger vampire knew from looking at his smug face that he was done for.

“Do you mean that I aged well?” asked the older vampire.

“Now you’re fishing for compliments,” muttered Kaito. He could feel himself turn red, both aroused and embarrassed: among vampires, the display of blood under the skin of their face was a sign of submission and seduction, as they presented their lifeforce for all to see. Gakupo saw that, and unconsciously licked his fangs, that were peeking out from behind his lips now; the sight made Kaito’s knees feel weak.

“Maybe,” replied the older vampire, “but it is certainly interesting that the compliment should come from you out of all people.”

They were standing too close, or so Kaito suddenly felt that. He cautiously moved so that there was the table between the two of them, protecting him. Deep down he knew that this was futile, but growing hunger in the other’s eyes was simply getting too intense for him to bear. 

“What are you scared of, Kaito?” asked Gakupo innocently.

“Nothing,” lied the other. “Don’t you have some work to do?”

“I’ll catch up with it later.”

He seemed to want to join him by walking around the table; Kaito backed off quickly until his back hit the shelves full of books.

This made the eldest chuckle. “Running away now?” He asked.

“No.”

Kaito started to crawl along the shelves like a crab, making sure that he kept facing the other. He was a little afraid, but that fear was quickly morphing into arousal when the other was looking at him like that. Already heat was pooling in the nest of his hips and spilling down between his legs, and that was a whole new level of danger of its own. He came to the stairs, climbed, before looking down at the lord.

Gakupo’s face didn’t change as he watched him escape, and he was still smiling by the time the other looked back at him. He slowly approached the edge of the bridge, still looking up, and suddenly his wings were opened.

Kaito felt blood flood to his neck and face before he ran; there was the sound of great wings behind him; Gakupo crashed into his side, making books fall all around them from the impact. The younger cried out in surprise but was shushed by eager lips pressed against his mouth. He opened himself to the other automatically but tensed in his arms, both scared and aroused, submitting almost instantly to the touch.

Their tongues played with each other, pushing and giving in. For a moment they seemed equal in this fight, but then Gakupo tilted his head and plundered further, stroking the base of Kaito’s fangs and making him moan helplessly. The latter couldn’t remember why he wasn’t supposed to like this anymore and couldn’t get himself to think about it, not when searing heat burned all his thoughts to crisp. He leaned back against the shelves and relaxed, offering his body for the other to taste and enjoy. It felt right.

It was Gakupo that broke the kiss, but it was just so that he could kiss him some more down the column of Kaito’s neck, the sharp feeding teeth pressing against the other’s skin, teasing him with the possibility of piercing him. But he didn’t. He made his way back up and nibbled on an ear, chuckling as he could feel his partner grow boneless in his arms.

Kaito reached up over the elder’s back, his hands encountering the base of the wings shielding them both from the outside world. He paused, then slipped under them, seeking out the place where they spouted out of his back under the tangle of his shirt and stroking it. It was Gakupo’s turn to moan in his ear, the sound so deep it went straight to Kaito’s cock. They pressed each other closer, their cool flesh coming alive from the flow of blood under their skin and the air filling from its intoxicating scent.

The younger one needed to feel the other one against his bare skin. He reached up and started to undo his own shirt as they shared a second kiss. The elder’s hands wrapped around him, lifting him from his ass into his embrace so that they crotches would align. They were both hard. This made Kaito realize where this was going.

“Here?” He gasped. “Right against the shelves?

“No,” answered Gakupo.

The youngest found himself cradled against the lord’s chest, lifted effortlessly as he climbed over the barrier and dropped himself back to the bridge with the table. Before Kaito knew it, he was laid down on it with Gakupo over him, the lord’s slim hips nestled between the younger vampire’s thighs, his wide wings extended over them both. The sight dazzled Kaito and his skin flushed bright red, an invitation for the other to take what he wanted.

Gakupo was more than willing to answer said invitation. With a crooked smile, he leaned down so that his soft lips would glaze the skin of Kaito’s neck. He inhaled deeply, and pierced, sharp and precise, his canines plunging with delight deep into the warming flesh. The youngest cried out and bucked his hips up, grounding his erection against the one of his eldest; the pain only made the pleasure so much more intense, and now he could feel the brush of his lover’s mind against his.

His hands shot up to undress them both because he could sense that this was what Gakupo wanted. He started with the latter, unclasping his cape that was promptly shaken off, then unbuttoning his shirt and pants. Gakupo’s body was every bit as breathtaking as he had imagined it, hard and made of sharp angles, like his face.

He reached for the elder’s erection and stroked it gently, feeling his own pulse in need from the mere sight of it. The other vampire moaned with his fangs in Kaito and that sent shockwaves through his body, shockwaves that ended in his cock. He freed it from its confines, but couldn’t get his pants off, having his lover standing in the way.

That was when Gakupo reached down and tore them in half, along with his underwear, before gripping his ass firmly. Kaito cried out in shock, having not expected that at all, then started to laugh nervously. This was really happening, he thought, and he wrapped his legs around the elder’s hips to pull him closer. He wanted this badly, his head was spinning with desire, he was drunk on it and there was no spotting him from wanting more.

He whimpered when he felt the other’s fangs pull out of him. Gakupo had drawn no blood, but some of it had spilled out on his lips: he licked it before kissing Kaito, leaving his mouth open. The younger one guessed what he wanted and cleaned his fangs, the iron taste collecting on his tongue and awakening his own hunger. He sucked on them diligently, eliciting moans from the eldest as he serviced him. Fangs for vampires were so sensitive that when they got intimate they only came second to their sex. To think that Kaito was allowed to even touch them excited him even more, so much so that his limbs started to shake – and he wasn’t even being touched himself.

Meanwhile, Gakupo was grinding his erection against Kaito’s ass, clearly enjoying the proximity imposed on him by the iron grip of the other’s legs. A pair of fingers ventured into Kaito’s mouth and the latter generously coated them with his saliva, before feeling them leave and travel south. He released the death grip his legs had around Gakupo’s hips so that the latter could slip his hand between them. Kaito felt a digit break into him then pump him until he was ready to take in a second one. He couldn’t wait and the preparation seemed to be taking forever.

“Gakupo,” he whispered in his lover’s ear. “Please, please, I want you, I can take it.”

This made the other chuckle and pull out. Kaito spread his legs invitingly and was soon rewarded by a brief pressure against his ass, then penetration. He moaned, tensed, wrapped his arms around the other and closed his eyes to enjoy the sensation. There was a slight burn. Saliva wasn’t the best lube, after all, but the youngest liked it, knowing that his vampire body was enduring when it came to that. The fullness from the other’s cock was pleasurable enough that it made for him. He had known him for a day only, but it felt like he had been waiting to greet him between his legs since forever.

The first few thrusts were slow, too slow for Kaito’s tastes, that whimpered and pushed his hips into Gakupo’s crotch. He arched his back and cried out when his weak spot was stuck the first time. He begged for more as he clung to the other, faster, harder, all sense of shame forgotten. The air was thick with the scent of Kaito’s blood, that was slowly dripping out of the young on his neck as it healed, and it only exited them further.

Gakupo lost more of his initial precautions with each thrust, aiming relentlessly for that spot that made his lover go wild. He used enough strength that, should Kaito have been a human, he would have broken him. The youngest, however, didn’t mind, in fact, he loved the way he slid across the table then pulled back until he was full again, and the way Gakupo’s wings shuddered each time he pushed into his hot depth.

“Not too hard?” asked the lord between two thrusts.

“No, no,” said Kaito. “Please don’t stop.”

A thrust that was harder than the others made the youngest moan wantonly, pain and pleasure preying on his senses.

“Oh, I think you liked that,” said Gakupo.

“Yes.” Kaito’s hands reached up and tangled themselves in the other’s silky purple locks. They were just as soft as he had imagined to be.

“Naughty little thing,” grunted the eldest.

Their fucking became rougher and rougher, making the table move and creak, but Kaito couldn’t be enjoying himself more. Pain and pleasure mixed, his body straining to take it and heal itself at the same time, his senses overloaded with the feel and the scent of his lover. He didn’t even care what sounds he produced, he just knew that they were getting louder and louder and tension built deep within himself. Gakupo was quieter, but his entire body was giving itself to the movement; his wings thundered around them and he bit his young lover a second time, deeply, right in the tender flesh of Kaito’s shoulder.

This was what put the latter over the edge. He screamed lord’s name and came, his hands balling in the purple hair, his legs locking around his hips so that he would be drawn deep inside of him. He felt Gakupo tense against him before he ejaculated right where his younger lover wanted him to. They held each other tight, tight enough that their ribs might crack, and remained locked together a few moments longer as pleasure rose then crashed on them until they were both left sated and panting.

It was the eldest that untangled himself first by loosening his grip and drawing his fangs, but Kaito was unwilling to let him go quite yet. He still enjoyed the fullness in his post-bliss state.

“Relax your legs,” ordered the lord, but his voice was soft, almost a whisper.

The youngest obeyed reluctantly, untangling his hands from the luscious hair as well. His mind was oddly blank, but Gakupo felt and smelled so nice that he wanted to huddle against him. But that was not to be. Instead, he could slowly feel their difference in status slip between them, like a snake hissing poisonous words. He was the orphan, the other was the master of the grounds.

“Well, that was unexpected,” commented Gakupo as he straightened and looked down at Kaito.

His hair was a mess and his shirt hung open, revealing a sculpted alabaster chest. It was a far cry from his previous polished appearance but it only made him sexier. He looked ready for a second round, Kaito thought, and he couldn’t take his eyes off him. He had seen quite a few beautiful specimens among vampires, but the more he looked at the lord the more he believed that there was some sort of special grace to him, a quality of being he had acquired through the years that set him apart. He was quite literally hypnotizing.

Gakupo watched him back, pensive, before pulling out. He fetched his cape from the ground and dusted it off. Kaito winced when he tried to sit up, the pain coming from his posterior not as pleasant now that he didn’t have his lover inside him. He had to lay back down and let his ass heal a little. Nothing had been torn, thankfully, but he should definitely ask for more preparation next time. If there would be a next time, that was, because right now Kaito was just confused as to what came next.

His crotch, that showed through his torn pants, was suddenly covered by a heavy cloth; he looked down to see the lord’s cape.

“Give me a moment, I will go fetch something to clean you,” said Gakupo.

Even when he was missing his cape, his wings were drawn tight against his back out of habit and trailed on the ground behind him. They were so dark that it was hard to tell that they were purple, but Kaito was sure of it. He watched the lord leave quickly, so quickly that he was a blur, and then he had a few moments to himself.

He sighed and closed his eyes. Well, he could hardly regret the amazing and yet he was a little ashamed that his resolve of _not_ sleeping with the lord had hardly lasted a day. How had it even happened? Gakupo had just kissed him, and then he had felt so weak for it, and before he knew it, he was spread on that table for the other’s enjoyment. He should have known that it would end like that. He had obviously been picked to suit the lord’s taste, and there was no way he would be able to resist the seduction of a creature this experienced. His only regret should be that he had been this naive.

The other approached him again without a sound and he had not moved from his spot. A wet towel was applied to his stomach, wiping the traces of his orgasm away. The touch was as far from the rough handling from before. Kaito opened his eyes and watched the master of the Gacktpoid castle carefully, trying to decipher what he thought of the whole thing.

“Is something the matter?” asked the eldest without taking his attention away from his task.

“I don’t know,” replied the other vampire.

The lord paused and looked down at him. “Not quite sure that this was a good idea?”

Kaito nodded.

“What were you expecting?” asked Gakupo.

“Nothing.” He looked away. “But I hate when I end up doing what Miku wants despite myself.”

That rose the other’s brow. “She told you to do that?”

“No, she didn’t. She didn’t say anything. She just... sent me here, and I didn’t know what for until you told me. But that was her intention.”

“Do you regret sleeping with me?”

“No.” Kaito feared that he had deceived Gakupo, and blushed to show the intensity of his feelings on this regard. “I wanted to. It was amazing. You are...” He stopped himself, not knowing what to say that wouldn’t make him sound young and sappy.

“Not ugly,” finished the other for him. There were the faintest traces of a smile on his face.

This made Kaito chuckle as he sat up. Cum dribbled down his chest.

“You should wear those afterward,” continued the lord as he presented some pants. “Let me clean you.”

Gakupo passed a wet cloth on him, then helped him stand up. The pain was gone now, save for some soreness, thanks to Kaito’s regeneration abilities. He got dressed quickly as he tried to ignore the persistent attention the lord was giving him. Blood flooded to his skin each time he felt those piercing purple eyes on him, inviting him to lean in and bite him again.

“You should let me deal with what Miku might or might not do,” Gakupo told him.

“Pardon?” Kaito had perfectly understood but, with his mind on other things, the statement seemed to be coming out of nowhere.

“I am the lord of this castle,” explained the other. “It is my duty to protect all that reside within. We all know that your gifting wasn’t that innocent, in fact, some members of my clan were already protesting against your stay because of that. I quieted their worries by telling them that when the time comes, I will be the one standing in front of her. You should let her off your mind.”

Kaito sighed as he started to button his shirt back up. “I would love to, but she was my sire for way too long for me to just forget about her. I’m still not used to that... emptiness inside my head.”

Gakupo made an odd face. Did he seem... sad? “I cannot imagine what it must be like. You must feel terribly lonely.”

“It’s a relief. Having her poke and probe at my feelings were not pleasant. Better be alone than in bad company, as they say. Besides, it doesn’t have to remain that way forever – and no matter who will be the human I’ll choose to make into a vampire, I’ll make sure that they never have to go through the same thing than I.”

“Ah.” Gakupo nodded. There was a softness to his face that had not been before. “You are still young. I remember when my first child rose, I thought that it was the happiest day of my entire life... until I met my second child, and then my third, and so forth.”

“What was it like?” asked Kaito, curious.

“My first child? To be honest, I thought that I was meant to remain a childless vampire. Younglings seemed more trouble than what they were worth. But then I met Gyen and it was love at first sight.” He laughed, a little embarrassed by his confession. “She was the most beautiful little thing, I could see the vampire in her just wanting to come out. And, well, I lost it! I just grabbed her and ran back to our residence at the time. She was screaming and cursing me the entire way. My sire wasn’t happy that I would be so irrational but I was having none of it and bit her in the hour. When she was laying cold in my arms, though, I panicked. I knew nothing about becoming a sire!”

“Oh dear,” said Kaito, laughing. “I can’t imagine you... this impulsive. You always seem so level-headed – from what I saw so far, at least.”

“Oh, trust me. If the last half an hour is anything to go by, it’s proof that you never really grow out of it.” A malicious glint sparked in his purple eye. “I am a man of passion.”

Kaito, sensing that the tone of the conversation had suddenly changed, blushed and looked away. “I’ll be warned, then,” he muttered.

Gakupo stepped in Kaito’s personal bubble and gently nudged his chin up, that they would look at each other face to face. “I hope that this time wasn’t a one-night stand.”

The youngest’s throat ran dry. “I don’t know if – would it be okay if I thought about it some more?”

“It would be fine by me.” The lord nodded. “Feel free to enjoy my hospitality however you would like.”

“Thank you.”

The eldest pulled his hand away and stepped back, giving him his space once more; Kaito found that he could breathe more freely.

“However,” said the youngest, “if there is a next time, I hope it won’t be in the library. We are lucky no one came in.”

Gakupo just smiled.

Kaito felt himself pale. “Someone came in.”

“And I won’t mention the fact that vampires have quite sensitive ears, or that this room is in no way sound-proof.”

“Oh, by the Core...”

“Not your kink?”

“Everyone is going to know now, are they?” Asked Kaito.

“I would estimate that they do already. All of them.”

“Wait a moment – you enjoy this.” Kaito narrowed his eyes at the other. “It’s _your_ kink.”

“From what I remember, you were the one that screamed my name.” The lord almost looked smug.

“That doesn’t count!” Cried Kaito. “Just because I did doesn’t mean that I do want... Those sorts of things are private!” He covered his face with his hands. “Oh, Core, now that’s what they are going to think about when they are going to first meet me.”

Gakupo chuckled. “Look on the bright side: now that they know that I took you, they are going to be dying of curiosity about what sort of person caught my attention, instead of hiding as they do.”

That didn’t make Kaito feel any better. “I wish that this wasn’t their first impression of me.”

“Their first impression was that you were Miku’s spawn. Considering how popular she is around here, being known for screaming my name is an upgrade.”

“How about just being known for me?” muttered the latter.

Gakupo pretended he didn’t hear that. “It’s getting early. Is there anything you need me for before I go back to my work?” He asked.

The youngest shook his head. “I just want to take some time to think about what happened. I am not sure I know what to do next.”

That earned him a soft smile from the other. “Take your time. No one is in a rush. Have a good day.”

“Thank you, you too.”

They parted ways, Gakupo leaving quickly for his office while Kaito stayed behind to take one last look at the library – he didn’t really want to stay in it, it was just that he didn’t want to be seen leaving it with the lord.

He really didn’t know what to think about what just happened, or even how to feel. He figured that a day of resting couldn’t help, and left the library thinking that this would be the best course of action for the upcoming hours. He simply did not want to deal with his own thoughts right now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If anyone thought that this was going to be a slow-burn... I'm sorry :')


	6. Chapter 6

Gakupo has said that he was going to work, but he knew that he certainly wasn’t in the mood to focus on correspondence from the moment he sat at his desk. What he really wanted was a bath so that was what he went for.

The bathroom that adjourned his apartments was on a whole other level than the one Kaito used. It was paved with beautiful hand-painted tiles that represented flowers, motives, and scenes from daily life – including daily life in the bedroom – all skilfully rendered in shades of pale ochre. It was not lit by candlelight like most of the other rooms in the castle, but by a giant constellation of crystals in the ceiling, that seemed to represent both a snowflake and a rose. The basin of the bathtub was made of raw marble and large enough to welcome a few couples – Gakupo had tested it himself more than once in his long life.

He disrobed and made some cool water run, in which he emptied a vial of artificial blood for scent and its rejuvenating properties – that was the secret of his gorgeous hair. Once it was full, he slipped in with a sigh and closed his eyes, and naturally, his thoughts floated back to the lovely youth he had left moments ago.

There was no denying that he thought him to be attractive, but he wasn’t sure he liked his personality yet. The events of today had shown him a rebellious Kaito, although that threaded on the endearing rather than the annoying now that it was all passed. If anything, his favorite thing about the boy was the way he looked at him: even if he tried to hide it, it was obvious that he thought the lord to be absolutely irresistible. Gakupo knew that age suited him and that vampires gained what one would call an awe-inspiring aura as they grew older, but most people took that as a given. Kaito had nothing to gain from flattering him with his admiration, and that was why the eldest loved it above all. Not having to deal with some secret agenda was refreshing.

And the sex... Well, that was the second-best part. Despite having told Kaito that he would be fine with any final decision he would come to, Gakupo hoped that there would be a second time, and a third time. The last hundred and fifty years had been uninteresting on that regard: he had not found someone else to love and all his ordinary partners – the people he went to when he had an itch to scratch – were hibernating. On top of that, he had not had a real sub for even longer than that, and all his toys were collecting dust. He doubted that Kaito would have those sorts of inclinations, as he had shown no signs of it, but if Gakupo had learned anything during his long life, it was that one never knew a book from its cover. He could still hope, as he always did. Maybe the youngling had not had had the occasion to test those sorts of games for himself and didn’t know if he would like it or not.

Gumi reached out to his mind, making him know that she was looking for him; he allowed her to drop by his apartments. Moments later, there was a knock on the door.

“Come in,” he said.

She did so but stood at the door. Gakupo, intrigued, sensed that she felt guilty and embarrassed. He knew right away that she had done something bad and that she was coming to him to confess: they had gone through this situation a thousand time before.

“Do you want to come in the water?” He asked, knowing that this would help her tongue unwind.

She nodded and started to take off her dress. When she was naked, she hopped in with no other hesitation, while neither batted an eye at the other’s nakedness. She started to look through the vials on the side of the tub and poured one that she liked in the water – that Gakupo chose for the times where they took a bath together.

“Is there something you wanted to talk about, Gumi?” He asked once she had settled in.

“Well, yes,” she said. “I just... it was about before. And the new guy.” She seemed to hesitate. “I might have... jumped to conclusions. Well, I mean, it seems that you already sorted that out with him.”

He laughed. “If you can call it that, yes,” he said. “Len told you about it?”

“Len didn’t have to tell me. I tried to stop him by the way, but I arrived too late... he was mortified. He wasn’t paying attention, he had been reading a book – well, you know how is Len.”

Gakupo nodded.

“You’re not... too mad at me? For having told you a lie.”

“You thought that it was true, and well, it turned out to my liking in the end, so you get a pass this time. But it does make me curious about what really happened.”

“Well—“ She seemed embarrassed. “Are you sure you want to know?”

“Saying something like that will only make me more curious,” he replied.

“All right.” She took in a deep breath. “Well, Luka told me that he was a present for you, and I couldn’t help but notice that he was indeed your type... I looked at his hair, and how thin he was, you know, after I asked him, just quickly like that. He fit it perfectly—“

Gakupo raised a hand to stop her. “Sorry to interrupt, but I meant to ask. How do you know my type? I’ve only dated one person during your lifetime and he looked nothing like Kaito.”

“Oh,” she said, then paused. “Oh, well, the others talked about it. Described all the people you liked and noticed some similarities. You know.” She smiled.

He could sense that she was hiding some of the truth from him, which made him frown. He knew it was a running gag for everyone to refer to his type, and then lie to him about how they knew of it. He thought that Gumi might let it slip, but she had been warned, apparently. He dropped the subject.

“Carry on,” he told her.

“All right, then, I think I told him that you would like him because of his looks, and then he said that he knew that already...”

“Wait. How does _he_ know my type?” Asked Gakupo. “I can understand that you would. But he?”

“Oh— well I don’t know, he didn’t say anything about that,” she replied, looking away. “He just knew.”

Gakupo knew right away that he wouldn’t be getting anything more from her on that regard. He sighed and waved his hands. “Whatever. Keep your secrets, and carry on.”

She laughed sheepishly and shook his head. “Well, afterward, I said something about how nice it was that you were getting together. And then he got mad and walked away. I thought that he was upset because he didn’t like you, and, well, considering that he arrived yesterday there could be only one thing he disliked about you. But I was wrong.”

“Thankfully you were,” said the lord.

“You’re still not mad?” She asked.

“Why would I be? Things got sorted out quickly.”

She sighed in relief and leaned back in the bath, closing his eyes. He did the same, and they both listened to the imperceptible sounds of the water swooshing around their bodies. Sometimes, they could hear the ghostly echo of another vampire walking in the hallways.

“Should we wash each other’s hair?” She asked.

“I did it this morning, but I can wash yours,” he said, raising his head.

“I would love to. We don’t spend enough time together.”

“You aren’t twenty anymore,” said Gakupo. “Most of my children, at your age, were already eager to go out into the world.”

She grabbed the bottle she liked and put a generous lotion on her hand. Gakupo noticed that it was one of the ones he used the most often – she loved the smell because she associated it with him.

“I’m not most of your children,” she said. “I make mistakes, and it’s nice here, it’s fun. And I like hanging out with you.”

Gakupo sighed. “You wouldn’t say that if you ever tried traveling.” He approached her and started to massage her scalp. “Even if it’s all your own choice. I don’t mind having you around. I’m just scared that you might regret missing seeing things.”

“Nah,” she said. “I don’t. Maybe if I had a lover on the outside, I would want to visit him. And then I would get out.”

Gakupo’s hands stilled. “What sort of lover would that be, young lady?” he asked in a cold voice. 

She turned around and swatted him on the arm. “Stop it with that dumb joke,” she said, laughing. “I’m not fifty. By the way, you can’t say that when you are dating a fifty-year-old yourself.”

“We aren’t dating.”

“What was the library incident, then?” she asked.

“A romp. Now look in front of you if you want me to wash your hair.”

She obeyed, but she wasn’t done with the subject. “So, you aren’t together.”

“No. He didn’t seem to want to. He even said that he was going to need time to think about all that happened.”

“Barely anything happened!” she complained. “He needs to think? What is it going to be when you will take him to your dungeon?”

He laughed. “He will probably bury himself in a coffin and attempt to hibernate for a hundred years,” he answered.

She laughed too.

When they were quiet again, she asked: “How do you feel about him yourself?”

“Oh, I don’t know him,” he said. “We barely spoke with each other. I just think that he looks very fuckable. A little dramatic, a little young, and born to the wrong sire, but that never stopped me before.”

“Will he be part of the clan someday?” she asked.

“I don’t know.” Gakupo gently tilted her back until she dipped her head in the water, and started to massage the shampoo out. “One day, maybe. That will mostly depend on him.”

She looked up at him. “What do you think will happen?”

“I think that he will leave. He doesn’t have any other reason to stay.”

“He has you.”

“Gumi...” Gakupo smiled. “You’re too romantic. I told you there isn’t anything between us. Just lust. If he will want to leave, I can only hope that he does so with no regrets.”

“Maybe he will make friends here,” she insisted.

“Do you want to see him stay?” asked her sire, amused.

“Maybe. I’d talk to him, if I was sure that he won’t leave in two years or something, and never come back.”

“Or maybe you would leave on a road trip together. It can’t hurt to try.”

“That trip idea again.” She flicked his chin. “Just tell me that you want me out of your hair already.”

“You know me: if I was the only one deciding, I would keep all of my children in Gacktpoid where they are safe, but I can’t help but think that they all ended up having more fun on the outside... or at least most of them did.”

There was a silence.

“You know, maybe one day I will leave,” she said. “But you won’t have to worry about me. A three-hundred-year-old vampire is more than what any Sun-children can handle. And even if I was in grave danger, you would come to rescue me.”

“More than what _most_ Sun-children can handle. Don’t underestimate what they are capable of achieving with training. There is a reason why we don’t venture south.”

“Why would I want to even venture south? It’s hot there.” She straightened and turned to face him. “If anything, I would want to go see the glaciers and the boreal aurora. I bet the real thing looks amazing. Have you already seen one?”

“I have seen many,” he answered. “And I have also gone south, thinking that I was smarter than everyone else, eager for an adventure. It didn’t end well for me.”

She smirked. “Of course you would have gone south.”

“Do as I say, not as I do,” he chimed.

“Did you piss off anyone important?”

“Only some members of some royal guard, by biting someone I shouldn’t have as a practical joke. They chased me halfway across their land and left me for dead.”

He eyes widened. “You drank their blood?”

“No. I tried to turn him into a vampire.”

She exploded in laughter, then stopped to look at his face and her eyes widened in shock. “You are serious.”

“I am. I was looking for a vampire hunter that had come all the way here to kill one of my children. I knew that she had caused them a lot of trouble by attacking some of their military outposts, but at the time I didn’t care, all I wanted was revenge for her death. I dropped everything and went hunting for the man myself. It took me fifty years, but by the time I ambushed him and successfully bit him, he saw nothing coming.”

“You have an elvish child,” she said, stunned.

“Oh, he’s probably dead now. Even if he was somehow left alive, I wouldn’t have any link with him. Vampires born from humans cannot form links with Sun Children vampires, and vice-versa. It’s just like living human and elf hybrids cannot have children: their two species are close, but not close enough. That would anyway imply that they even let him rise again, which they probably didn’t.”

“Oh my gosh. You may have an elvish child and you never told me.”

He laughed. “I just told you... oh, forget it. Dream about it if you want to. But even if I did, why would I spontaneously open up about the story of my biggest failure? And again, I’m only telling you about it because I don’t want you to do the same thing.”

“Your biggest failure? More like your biggest adventure!”

“You’re giving it too much credit. I would rather have my role as a general in the Three Tiger War to be my biggest adventure or the time I went to visit the abandoned Atri satellite if you like space adventures.”

“I’d give an eye away permanently to meet a Sun child vampire,” she said.

“They are indeed different from us human vampires. I met a few, but all of them were a long time ago. Their own kind tends to track them down and they are rejected by other vampires. However, they are immensely strong, especially when it comes to magic.” He paused, lost in his memory. “I fought one, once. He left me scars stayed on me for a few hundred years.”

“That long?”

“Yes. They weren’t aesthetically pleasing either, like some scares that one might choose to keep.” He winced. “I’ve had a lot of vampires rejecting me because of them.”

“I would have fought those people.”

Gakupo broke out of his gloomy mood with a laugh. “It was their choice to make! They didn’t know what they were missing.”

“Then I would have fought that elvish vampire.”

“I would stop you if you tried.”

She looked up at the ceiling with a sigh. “I might have a Sun child vampire brother out there.”

“Or not. If you finally set on your own journey just to go meet him, I promise that you will be in big trouble, young lady.”

She smiled at him. “I won’t. It’d be dumb to try.”

Gakupo nodded, and they stayed in silence for a while longer.

“The sun is coming up,” suddenly said Gumi. “I’d better go back.” She stepped out of the tub and grabbed a towel to dry herself.

“I’m coming out as well. It was a good talk, we should have some like that more.”

She nodded as she got her clothes on. “Yeah. I figure that we don’t often have things that start a new conversation.” She grinned. “We can spend our day observing Kaito, and then report our conclusions to one another.”

“Please. I would get bored of gossiping after the third day,” he replied, rolling his eyes – but there was a smile on his face. “Have a good day, my daughter.”

“You too. I wish you some sweet dreams about a certain mop of blue hair,” she winked and left him.

He chuckled quietly. “Maybe I will have,” he added for himself.


	7. Chapter 7

Several days passed, and Kaito didn’t catch one glimpse of the Lord of Gacktpoid. This gave him plenty of time to torture his mind on the subject of their last encounter.

On one hand, he still didn’t know if Miku had planned for him to be given to Gakupo from the start. He absolutely hated her. Sometimes, when he was alone, he acted himself out asking her and telling her that what she did was wrong. He always won those arguments, but it didn’t make him feel any better.

On the other hand, Gakupo was both awe-inspiring and mysterious. He was so old that most vampires had forgotten his actual age – maybe he had even forgotten it himself. Kaito would never get to know him entirely, even if he spent his entire life talking to him and listening to what he had to say. Yet, he couldn’t stop thinking about their time in the library. He wanted it again, but he was just as conflicted about it as before their first time.

Instead, they had sex where it was the safest: in Kaito’s head. Even if he tried to think about something else, it would come back to it. Maybe his eyes would lay on a painting that made him think of him, or maybe his mind was left at peace for one moment and it started to prey on his thoughts. Sometimes, he would go out in the hallways, pretending that he was going out to admire the castle for what seemed to be the umpteenth time, but deep down he knew that he was looking for someone.

He briefly wondered if Gakupo was mad at him and didn’t want to talk to him, before remembering that vampires did not have the same perception of time as humans and that a few days were long for the latter only. It was probably that this was what the lord considered an adequate time to breathe.

Kaito wondered if he was thinking about him, at least. Did he? Or had he already forgotten his name, replacing it with one from his former lovers – one of the ones that were in the paintings with him? Maybe it was for the best if Kaito remained forgotten now, that he might not be compared to something he couldn’t possibly compete with. He should be grateful that he had been allowed once, even if it had been a quickie on a library table.

He ended up learning for himself about the different sections of the library and browsed the books in vampiric, as well as those written in the human languages that he knew. After all, he had nothing but books to save him from constantly circling between feelings of lust, shame, resignation and anger, and even those only kept the darker thoughts at bay for so long.

If he at least had someone else to speak with, the wait for his lordship to reappear would have been more bearable, but even Gumi remained invisible and the other clan member’s existence was still hypothetical. It had become clear to him during his explorations that he was locked within a certain perimeter. Even if his enclosure gave him quite a bit of room to roam, it was far from being as vast as the entire castle.

By the sixth day he would have given a lot to be able to see another face than a painted one, yet, when that happened, he was so absorbed by his book that he absolutely did not hear the other coming.

“What are you reading?” asked Gakupo, startling Kaito.

The latter, that had found a seat in the lounging area at the bottom of the library, looked up in disbelief at the lord, that seemed very amused by the fact that he was surprised to see him. Kaito’s first thought was that he looked unbelievably sexy when he opened a button at the top of his shirt like that.

There was a silence, and the youngest remembered he was asked a question. “Uh...” he had to check the cover because he had forgotten. “Last Time I Heard About Amber.”

“Ah. So, a romance,” he answered.

For some reason, that made Kaito blush. “Yes, what about that?”

“Do you like romance?” he asked.

“It’s entertaining.” Kaito found that holding the other's gaze was hard, and lowered his. What was the other doing here, talking to him about romance with his shirt open to show his entire neck?

“Indeed. Don’t you find it strange that romance is a genre that simply never grows old?” he asked.

“Pardon?”

“Well I mean,” Gakupo pulled a seat as he kept explaining. “for humans, that live such a short life and need to see that they have descendants, it’s obvious that they will be dreaming of romance, even romance between members of their own sex. But I haven’t seen vampires tiring of it. In fact, vampires seem to love them even more than humans if you ask me, even as we don’t reproduce as couples. Isn’t it odd?”

“I mean,” said Kaito, “I had a sibling that told me that we carry a lot of traits from humans that we wouldn’t be needing as vampires.” Gakupo was so close that his smell preyed on the youngest appetite: he carried faint traces of blood on him, as if he had perfumed himself with iron extracts.

“Ah.” That seemed to amuse the lord. “By any chance, does that sibling happen to be that purist child from Miku? Adrian, that was, right?”

“Yes. You know him?”

“Yes, I do, in fact. He stuck a conversation with me at a social event, a long time ago, and went on this tirade about how vampires didn’t need erections.”

Heat rushed to Kaito’s cheeks. “He did what?”

“He was adamant. He kept going on that pleasure delivered to us by human means made us, the superior race, prone to manipulation, and questioned why we would trap our blood in that part of the body when there are other more vampiric ways of deriving pleasure, such as dominance and ruling – things that were, in his opinion, typically vampiric traits. It was an admirable discourse, really. A shame he was entirely discredited by the fact that he had recently gone through a harsh breakup and that everyone knew about it, making one doubt if the root of such passion in that cause laid in logical reasoning.”

Kaito chuckled despite himself. “It does sound like him. He thought that I was going to become a purist like him when I was turned. I might have if Miku had not kept me away from him at all cost.”

“He is an interesting one. Quite beautiful too. For all her defaults, Miku does have taste when it comes to detecting which human will make a refined-looking vampire.” The way Gakupo leaned neared to his, almost whispering the last part, made it clear that he was complimenting Kaito as well.

“I’m not...”

“Well, I am biased.” He reached out and stroked Kaito’s hair. “I’ve always been obsessed with blue hair. I see beyond that of course, but that’s a trait that catches my attention. I think it might be my memory of when I was a human. I spent hundreds of years before I was strong enough to look up at the blue sky, so I took blue haired lovers I could look at instead.”

The attention from the lord was literally frying Kaito’s brain. He was aware that the other was flirting with him, that he had made himself look and smell good for him. He couldn’t think of anything else but the man next to him, and when he finally rose his eyes it was too look at Gakupo’s lips. He bit them involuntarily under the youngest’s gaze.

“Have you thought long enough?” asked the eldest, his voice almost a whisper.

“I... I don’t know. Have you thought about it?”

“I have, more than what would be reasonable, in fact.” He tilted his head as he looked into Kaito’s eyes. “But I am interested in hearing what you have to say.”

“I said I don’t know what to think, and you’re not helping.” Kaito glanced down at his strong neck, his smooth skin that seemed to beg for bloody kisses.

“Maybe I am,” he replied teasingly.

“You are not and you know it,” answered Kaito, trying his best to sound unamused.

“Well, maybe the reason you are struggling is because you need a second try.” The eldest placed a hand on the back of the youngest chair and leaned in even closer. “To make sure.”

“Make sure of what?”

“Well, you can hardly tell how it’s like with someone from one time. Or can you?”

“Uuuuh...” He didn’t know what to say at this point, so he just stared.

Gakupo waited for a reply, but apparently quickly grew impatient. “Come to my room,”  he ordered.

“You mean, right now?”

“Yes.” He rose his brows. “Or you want to finish your book first?”

Kaito looked down at Last Time I Heart About Amber. He had forgotten that he was still holding it. “It’s so sudden,” he said.

“Am I coming to strong?” asked the lord, worried.

Kaito looked up at him. He was so close to him, close enough to kiss. “You are overpowering,” he admitted. “I... you dazzle me. I just don’t want to do something stupid.

“Sleeping with me would be something stupid?” Gakupo smiled. “Trust me, if this is the stupidest thing you have done in your life, I can tell you I have survived far rasher and riskier situations.”

“I just...” Kaito passed a frustrated hand through his hair. “You are the lord, and I am a nobody. Aren’t there like... rules that separate us? Aren’t you bored of me already, that I don’t know as much as you, or that I can’t... I don’t know, overpower you in a single glance?”

“Is _that_ what you had to think about for so long?” he asked, surprised.

“Among other things.”

Gakupo laughed. It was deep and sexy, amused yet not mocking. “I see. You could have just asked, and I would have answered. No, I don’t think that you are boring, I barely know you. If limited all my lovers to the age that they have, not only would I have passed next to many opportunities, but I would also lose my will to live. You can’t imagine how refreshing it is for someone my age to talk with someone that still carries their human wonder when looking at the world.”

“Oh,” said Kaito.

“Exactly. I’ve been thinking about you a lot, so, since I finished my work earlier, I thought that I might drop by. It’s fun to be impulsive.” He winked.

Kaito glanced down at the undone button, again, noticing that the eldest’ neck held the lightest of flush. He certainly had not spent time working at his desk looking like that. His eyes were quick, but the other caught him staring and leaned in, taking it as an invitation.

He kissed him, but only at the corner of his lips, as if asking a question. The youngest gasped but didn’t answer back, just stayed dumbfound at the change in tone. His mind went blank for a moment.

“If you don’t want this, you can just say no and I will back off,” whispered Gakupo near his ear. “You can always say no.”

“I...” he breathed in deeply. “In your room?”

“Yes?”

“I don’t want the whole castle too...”

“No one will hear you there,” he promised. “It’s soundproof.”

“Ah...” he said. “Well, it shouldn’t be a problem then...”

Gakupo smiled and got up; offering him a hand, he pulled Kaito on to his shaky feet. The latter couldn’t believe that he had agreed to this, that it was happening.

Walking to his room was torture. It wasn’t like their first time, where they did it right there on the spot: the youngest had the time to anticipate. The eldest held his hand and it made them look as if they were intimate, like good friends, or a couple. The contact along made Kaito dizzy. Just like on the first day, a blur wanted to settle on the edge of the youngest’s vision, but he fought it, wanting to know where they were going. So that he might find his way to it again? He didn’t know.

They went deeper into the castle, and his guide opened a door that Kaito was sure had been locked the last time he had tried it. Past this point, there was a distinct change of tone in the decorating. The carpets were thicker, muting all sounds, the walls painted purple and blue and the ceilings represented the night sky with all of the vampire deities that represented the constellations they had colonized. It was no longer a display of wealth and taste, but someone’s preference.

This was Gakupo’s home, Kaito realized.

And it was wider than what the latter could imagine. They passed several doors as they went down the long hallway, all of which were ignored completely until Gakupo came to one that looked like all the others and opened it. Kaito looked back one last time, at the massive double door all the way at the end; he had thought that this was where they would be going, as its golden columns on each side and its heavy lock of it made it the one that stood out from the rest.

Not that the room they had entered wasn’t lovely. It was made cozy by being filled with hanging curtains of thin purple silk and softly lit by glowing crystals encrusted in the ceiling above them. For human eyes, the place would have been just shy from pitch black. For their vampire ones, it was just enough light for them to see each other, and heavily intimate.

Though the veils, a bed could be seen.

Kaito’s limbs turned to jelly as shyness overcame him. He stopped walking and just stood there when the lord turned around to look at him.

“Having second thoughts?” asked the eldest in a deep, enticing voice.

Kaito felt blood rush to his face and neck as if screaming to getting bit. He really wanted this. There was nothing else on his mind but desire, yet he was paralyzed by the fear of underperforming. Instead, he went for small talk.

“You sleep here?” he asked.

“Only when I have someone over, and I wouldn’t call it sleeping.” He stepped closer and played with his hair. “Relax. I would say that I won’t bite you, but you would make this an awfully difficult promise to keep.”

The joke had the merit of making Kaito smile a little, and lean into the other’s soft touch. He was used to the attention bestowed to his hair, he knew that it was one of his strong points, but he had to admit that Gakupo’s was better to touch. He wanted to do just that but didn’t dare, still struggling with his nervousness.

“There are a few things I want to try out with you tonight,” continued the eldest. “You will have to tell me if you like them or not.”

Kaito had a flashback to a certain word Gumi had accidentally used when they had met. He wondered if that was it. The prospect excited him and scared him at the same time. He barely managed a nod.

“Something tells me you have some idea of what that might be,” said the lord.

Kaito nodded again, hesitantly. He drew in a long breath and stepped closer to his lover, reaching up to kiss him; the other obliged with a small, happy growl. Hands trailed down the leaner vampire’s figure and rested on his ass, without gripping it.

“Safeword is melody,” murmured Gakupo against his lips.

He pulled Kaito’s pullover over his head, then returned to kissing him. The youngest’s hands went to fiddle with the lord’s shirt; he opened all the buttons and started to stroke his hard chest. The nipples hardened against the palm of his hand from the friction, prompting him to pinch them lightly. This elicited a growl from the eldest. Hands returned to his ass, but this time they did grip.

They had to break the kiss when the youngest’s fangs shot out of his gums from the excitement. He backed off, scared that he would accidentally scratch the other, but a hand that cradled his head prevented him from getting too far. The lord’s lips lowered on the youngest’s neck, that flushed against the brush as the urge to get bitten swept over Kaito. He whimpered and tilted his head back,

Gakupo understood, and sank his fangs in him, tainting the air with the scent of iron. The youngest gasped and felt his knees give in: the only thing holding him up was the grip his lover had on him. He was powerless, but it was a good type of powerless: the type where he could sense the other’s desire for him through their connection.

“Gakupo,” whimpered youngest.

The other answered by drawing blood.

Kaito’s squirmed, the sensation odd to him: it was as if cold was seeping into his body from his neck. He shivered, a shiver that changed into an odd, crystalizing type of pleasure. His own fangs seemed to quiver in their sockets and he passed his tongue over them.

He pressed their hips together. They were both hard.

His lover let him go with a menacing growl. His pupils were dilated, his fangs fully extended and there was blood on the corner of his mouth. Kaito reached up and licked the drop. It sizzled on his tongue, blood from a vampire, impregnated with his essence.

He was weak from all the sensation that washed over him, so weak that he still couldn’t stand and was left at the other’s mercy. They looked in each other’s eyes for the briefest of moments, then Gakupo came to a decision: he dragged him through the silk curtains, to the bed, and dropped him on it to tower over him.

“Get naked,” he ordered.

Kaito suddenly found the strength to obey, reached down and slipped his pants over his slim hips before kicking them off; the same happened to his underwear. The other watched him with an appreciative eye, nodding when he was bare, before he moved away.

There was a nightstand near the bed there, with two drawers. The lord opened the first one and pulled out some lube and a silk rope. He glanced over at Kaito and grinned, displaying his erect fangs. Kaito gasped and made his legs fall apart, asking him to come closer.

“By Andromeda,” grunted Gakupo as he climbed near him with the rope. “You sexy little lovebite. I am going to _ruin_ you.”

Before Kaito could answer, he was flipped flat on his stomach and his arms were bound behind him. He cried out, but only after it was finished: Gakupo had been that fast. Instinctively, he struggled against the binding and, to his shock, found that he couldn’t tear it or pull out of it.

Gakupo tutted. “Naughty. I forbid you from trying to break the bondage.”

A heavy hand came down on the youngest’s exposed ass, making him yelp and clench it. The second slap was even harder on him.

“You lay down and you take what I give you, or there will be consequences,” growled Gakupo.

Kaito laid his cheek on the sheets and nodded. They really should have talked about this beforehand, because he had not expected that at all... nor how much it would excite him. He squirmed a little to adjust his erection against the bed. His ass tingled lightly.

“On your knees,” ordered Gakupo.

Kaito did so, having to push his ass high in the air so that he could bring his legs under him, the cheeks of which parted. For a fleeting second, he felt the piercing gaze of his lover right at the tight bud of his anus. His hard cock twitched; the youngest vampire was sure that the angle also revealed his arousal.

He was about to lower his hips and raise his chest when he felt a hand cup his ball. He froze. Gakupo had been unable to resist the temptation.

“Lovely,” breathed the latter. “Don’t move. I like this position more.”

Kaito was quite sure that when the other meant don’t move, it meant that he wasn’t allowed to budge a single muscle. Not willing to take the risk, he stayed still, only biting his lip when that hand traveled down to his hard length, stroking its underside.

“You react so well to me,” commented Gakupo. “I might go further than what I had planned for you.”

“Further?” Repeated Kaito.

“Yes. Remember the safe word I told you. Hold tight on it.” He gave a low growl. “Your blood is telling me about how excited you are, you slutty little thing.”

The knowledge that Gakupo could see into his feelings didn’t make him feel any better. His length twitched between his fingers and he had to bite down a moan. His entire abdominal area was starting to fill up with heat, which didn’t make holding his ass up any easier.

The hand that was touching him suddenly left him, coming back a few moments later to slip a rubber band over the head of his cock. Kaito gasped, but the other wasn’t finished with him quite yet. A slick finger probed at his entrance, circling the soft flesh there a few times before pushing in.

“Relax,” ordered the older vampire, “or it will never fit and I will have to punish you again.”

That, of course, didn’t help at all, but Kaito did make the effort of breathing in deeply. He wondered how much of his feelings could Gakupo sense. It was the same type of link than the one that he had had with Miku, yet to think that he was bared in that way to the older vampire excited him the more he thought about it.

His thoughts were cut short when the finger inside of him brushed a certain point, but it only teased him, circling the bundle of nerves so lightly he just felt the touch and barely any of that addictive pressure. He moved his hips before he knew it, just to get a little more.

Gakupo’s slap was sharp and rekindled the burn on his ass, making Kaito welp in surprise.

“I told you not to move,” said the lord. “Be happy with what you get, greedy wrench.”

Kaito tightened his fists in the bindings to endure a second spank. It stung a little, and then he could feel that the flesh of his butt had become tender and warm from the blood that rushed there to sooth the pain. He swore to himself that he wouldn’t be caught moving again, but the task was made difficult again the moment Gakupo returned to his teasing.

The latter pushed his finger in and out, then turned to a second one to stretch him some more. The tingles from the slaps receded slowly, replaced by the slight discomfort of the position. Kaito’s mind drifted to Gakupo’s cock, wanting to know if it would feel as good inside of him as it had last time. He couldn’t wait.

His attention snapped right back to the moment when the other retrieved his fingers and barely resisted the urge to try and turn his head to see what was going to happen. He didn’t know if that would count as moving. Instead, he bit his lip and closed his eyes in anticipation.

There was a click, and something started to buzz. Before Kaito could understand what it was, the egg was up his ass and snuggled right against his prostate. The vibration went straight to his cock, that twitched, still trapped in its restraining ring, and he moaned shamelessly.

“Say hello to your new friend,” said Gakupo in a deep voice. “You may move now.”

Kaito squirmed a little, trying to adjust foreign object inside of him, but it only seemed to inch closer to his weak point. He had heard of those toys, but it was the first time that felt the effect of one on him. It was merciless. He loved it.

He was turned around on his back and Gakupo’s appreciative gaze roamed over him. The older vampire had gotten rid of his shirt and only wore his pants, but the latter was wide open and his erection stood proudly between his legs. Just like his face, there wasn’t anything soft about his body, all carved of a single block of marble, and his wings framed his tall figure, casting shadows on both of them.

Kaito briefly wondered how he had gotten lucky enough to catch the attention of that man.

Gakupo chuckled and leaned over him, licking his fangs. “Enjoying the view?”

Kaito nodded, a little ashamed that he had been caught ogling, but for his defense the other was doing the same. There was nothing innocent in the way Gakupo looked at the youngest’s erection, or the way he reached out and stroked his chest. The touch made Kaito’s breath hitch when it trailed over a nipple, that hardened into a point instantly.

“Your body is so receptive,” commented the eldest. “With a bit of training, you’ll suit my needs perfectly.”

His needs? Kaito’s expression darkened.

“Oho,” chuckled the lord. “You seem to disagree.”

“I’m not your possession.”

“Ah.” Gakupo nodded, then licked his lips. He suddenly seemed very interested. “What a dangerous thing to say when you are tied up and sitting on my bed. I very much do want to prove you wrong.”

Now there was hunger in his eyes. Kaito squirmed on the sheets, knowing that this look was all for him. He tried his best to keep his act together, yet his own body betrayed him, tinting his skin red, calling to the other, showing his true desire. He couldn’t even bring himself to hate it, because then the lord’s lips stretched into a smile that only melted his insides faster.

Gakupo parted his knees and the youngest vampire didn’t even have the strength to resist. He welcomed the other between his legs eagerly. He even lifted his hips so that their length rubbed against each other. Pleasure coiled in Kaito’s stomach, making him moan. And there was that egg in him still.

“Look at you,” whispered Gakupo. “You like this already. And you will like this too.”

He raked down Kaito’s chest without a warning, his nails leaving burning red traces in their wake. The youngest hissed and arched his back, but there was no denying that his cock twitched in response.

“Naughty,” commented the lord. “So depraved already. Aren’t you ashamed that you even dare to try and put a straight face, saying things like you don’t belong to me?” Gakupo’s chuckle was deep and seductive in Kaito’s ear. “You know nothing. I’ll teach you how futile resisting me is.”

The youngest bit his lip. The other was all over him, down to his mind, his entire body was busing like the toy snug up his ass, and the pressure between his hips was rising. He was trapped and entirely in the other’s power, yet the only thing that worried him was how little he was against what was happening to him.

Gakupo rose, his hands on either side of Kaito’s chest, and moved his hips. Their sexes rubbed against each other, drawing moans from both of them. The eldest continued, closing his eyes to enjoy the sensation as if he was alone. The slimmer vampire was being deliciously tortured, his mind hiccupping from the overstimulation. He felt himself tense, knew he was close.

“Gakupo,” he moaned out. “The... I want to come.”

“Oh?” The lord opened his eyes and looked down, but didn’t stop the rocking of his hips. A cat-ate-the-canary grin spread on his lips. “But we just got started.”

Kaito’s eyes widened when he registered the words, but a particularly wicked friction sent him right over the edge here and then. He arched his back and cried his lover’s name, withered his hips, but it was no use. Barely a drop dribbled out of his constricted cock, that pooled at the tip and slipped over the side. He wimpered in pain and frustration, tensing and thashing as his ogasm was born torn out of him and from him.

Gakupo paused and plucked the drop with the flesh of his thumb, just to lick it off. And then his thumb sank between his lush lips, glazing his fangs as he looked straight down at Kaito, purple meeting blue eyes with relish. The younger vampire whimpered, the traces of his almost-orgasm fading as a new one started to build from the sight alone.

The eldest reached down between them and pulled at something; Kaito felt the toy popping out of him. He turned his head to the side and shuddered, feeling empty as all stimulation stopped entirely. If the other was removing the toy, then it was easy to know what came next. He felt his legs fall further apart, ready to take all of the other in.

The invitation didn’t go unnoticed by Gakupo, that chuckled and pulled back. Yet he didn’t start the onslaught from the start, rather, he took the time to slip his fingers in again with a second dose of lube for him, and added some on his own member.

Kaito’s breath hitched when he felt the other’s hardness push in. It slid in with some ease – more so than last time – and the lord got to work right away, his hurry finally betraying the urgency and the desire he felt. Things, from then on, quickly got messier and messier.

Lust, heavy and sticky, cloaked their minds as they gave in to their passions. There were no tender gestures, no quiet exchange of words. It was fast and efficient, hands holding hips so tightly they bruised, breath heavy and needy, desperate for release. Kaito felt that point being struck inside of him again and again, and each time it was like a blast of heat was being shot through his entire body. He welcomed it all, the other’s weight, the pleasure, but also the burn of his second orgasm building up and taking over his senses. His nails dug in his bound arms and the sheets as he grounded his teeth and started to resist.

The heat was too much. Pleasure turned to pressure, and that pressure started to border on pain. Delirium flooded Kaito’s brain: he didn’t know what he was saying or what he was doing. All he knew was that he wanted this to go on forever and so he fought himself, fought against the merciless cock that rubbed his weak spot, tensing around it and arching his back. And yet he was losing himself.

Gakupo said something he didn’t understand, and then the ring was out. It was impossible to hold on afterward. The younger vampire screamed, his throat raw, as his legs locked around his lover’s hips to draw him as deeply as possible. He saw white as he came, and that moment seemed to stretch on forever. The little death, they called it.


	8. Chapter 8

The first thing he noticed as he became once more aware, was that his lover had crashed over him and was panting heavily. The weight was more than welcome. Kaito felt it ground him, drawing him back in the moment.

What a roll in the hay, he thought to himself. He wondered what time it was, checked his vague awareness of the sun and felt that it would be a couple more hours before it rose and he would fall back into the lethargy vampires called sleep. He felt as if he could slip in it right now, though. He closed his eyes.

“No rest yet,” grumbled Gakupo, reminding the youngest that he could still sense his feelings.

He nuzzled the side of his neck. For a human, it would have been cute. For a vampire, a mouth on a neck was a different story, one that spoke of piercing and the drawing of blood.

Yet Kaito wanted it. Again. Oh, by the Core, he didn’t know if that was a good sign.

The one on top moved, drawing himself out. Thick wetness dripped down from Kaito’s used hole, spilling on the sheets. What they had done was depraved, he was covered in come inside and outside. He should have felt disgusted – he knew that he would have been should he have seen someone else in that state. He should have, yet he didn’t. It was only his second time with Gakupo.

“I’m a mess,” croaked the younger vampire, his eyes closed so he wouldn’t have to see the other’s face.

“Indeed. I’m quite proud of how little it took to ruin you.”

Kaito bit his lip. He didn’t know what would have happened if the other would have done more to him. He certainly was no virgin, he had had his share of lovers, but none of them had ever treated him that in bed. He knew he liked some degree of roughness, but anything beyond had been in freak territory – until tonight. The worth was that he was painfully aware of how little that had been compared to what might have been done to him, and he was already addicted to the sensations.

He was drawn from his thoughts by the touch of a wet towel on his chest, wiping away the mess, before moving to his butt. The soft pressure awoke small sparks of pain on his most sore areas. Gakupo had really gone to town on him.

“What are your wallowing in shame for?” asked the lord. “You were absolutely wild moments ago. Turn around.”

Kaito obeyed, flopping on his stomach so that the other could untie him. “That’s the problem.”

“How can enjoying yourself be a problem?”

“Well, you said... that you would train me. Like a pet. And I...”

“And you loved the thought of it.”

“No!”

The elder laughed. “You thought that I was serious?”

Kaito looked back over his shoulder, shocked. “You weren’t?”

Gakupo offered him a sly smile. “Maybe I was. Spending my nights making you beg and come would certainly be more interesting than answering letters and reading reports. Alas, I do have other things to do.”

Kaito huffed and looked away.

“However, if you really want it, it is within my power to delegate for a while and make some time for you...”

“Certainly not!” Kaito huffed as his hands were finally freed. He turned on his back, looking up at Gakupo. “I am my own person.”

The eldest laughed and laid near him, mingling their legs together and resting an arm over his stomach. “I tease. But that raises the question of what you are even doing in my bed.”

“Lust,” replied Kaito.

“At least we can agree on that. But would it really be that terrible to have you become something more?”

“Not as a possession.”

“But I like owning people.” Gakupo leaned in, brushing his ear with his soft lips. “I don’t want you to go around doing it with others. And, you have to admit that it is a hot thing to whisper to someone during sex.”

“Well then, that would be called a couple. You are asking for a couple.”

“That would imply that I love you.”

Kaito turned to him, looked at him in his eyes. “Why are we doing this, then?”

“Lust. You said it yourself. I want you, and you want me, so we do it. But after...” The eldest’s hand gripped Kaito closer. “What would be so bad about being bound to me? I hope I’m not too ugly for your tastes.”

Kaito chuckled despite himself. “I don’t want to be bound to someone... that would have too much power over me. I’ve had enough of that.”

“Oh.”

Kaito turned to Gakupo. “Oh?” Wasn’t that obvious?”

“You are scared that it would be the same thing than with Miku.” He thought about it. “I didn’t realize.”

“It’s not even about Miku. Who would want to belong to someone anyway? Be their prize to train and offer as they please?” Kaito felt anger rise. “You said that you wouldn’t treat me as a gift, and yet you want to lock me up just like she did!”

“Oh, Kaito, you got it all wrong.” Gakupo stoked his cheek and pulled away before the younger vampire could slap his hand. “I don’t know what you lived with her that you were willing to become an orphan, but do you really think that I would do the same to you?”

“I don’t know if you would. I don’t know you!” A voice told Kaito to not be rude, that he wouldn’t anger the lord of Gacktpoid, but he was too angry to shut it all.

“Fair enough.” He paused and thought about it, before grinning. “I can give you time to get to know me.”

“You would give me time to get to know you?” How gracious of him. Kaito glared at him, hoping that this thought would transpire in his gaze.

“I’m talking about courting. I would like to court you.”

“Court.” That was such an old-fashion way to say it, but he guessed that it made sense coming from an Orion-knows-how-old vampire. “As in?”

“As in taking you on a date, taking you on an adventure maybe, if I can think of one. No bedding, if my bedroom talk unsettles you – I do like to throw around claims in the sheets.”

“That still sounds like doing couple things to me,” pointed out Kaito. “I thought you didn’t want that.”

“I never said I didn’t.”

“So, you are saying that you could fall in love with me?” The youngest’s vampire’s brows shot up.

“My heart certainly had worth picks than you.”

“But I’m fifty!” Kaito suddenly felt nervous. “And you are far older than me – I don’t even know how old.”

Gakupo laughed. “Are you calling me too old for you?”

“I didn’t mean it like that! I just said – I must sound incredibly dull and unrefined, compared to you.”

“Oh, sweet rose button, you are still fresh from the morning dew of the night where you were born.” Gakupo produced a deep, melodramatic sigh. “And I am the predatory old crust, seeking out his own youth in others. Certainly, no love can bloom between two such crossed stars-lovers!”

Kaito blinked. Was the lord of Gacktpoid... sassing him?

“You can’t possibly be telling me that someone like you,” explained the youngest, “that saw and lived so much, would be interested in someone like me. You’ve got more experience—“

“And how would that change anything? I like my partners to be feisty and loyal, among other things, and that doesn’t change with age. It’s not as if you are sixteen.” He shrugged. “Of course, experience can play a role. But you know, I actually like knowing more than the others, so that’s not a handicap in your case.”

Kaito frowned. “So, you like them stupid.”

“And pretty,” added the lord.

“Are you saying that I am stupid?”

“But you are pretty.”

“That’s it, I am done,” said the youngest, pulling out of Gakupo’s arms.

The latter held him firmly as he laughed. “Oh dear, I’m just joking. I don’t actually mean the stupid part.”

Kaito looked back. It was a mistake. The elder vampire was smiling at him, his hair spayed out on the sheets behind him, as breathtaking as always. He felt his resolution waver.

“I do mean the pretty part, though,” whispered the lord. “Lay with me a while longer.”

The younger vampire gave in with a huff. They crawled across the bed so that they would lie with their heads on the soft pillows and under the sheets. That felt odd to Kaito, it reminded him of the time where he was human. Not that he ever had this fine of a bed to lay on. Kaito didn’t want to lay too close to the other, but he was dragged into his hold so that his head would rest on his shoulder. A hand came up to stroke his blue locks. Silence settled on the two of them for a while.

“So... a date?” asked the youngest.

“Or an adventure,” answered the lord.

“An adventure sounds risky.”

“I believe that I have enough experience with adventures to keep you safe on your first one. Would it be your first adventure?”

Kaito chuckled. “Well no, but it’s been a while.”

Gakupo nodded. “I see.”

There was a silence.

“When I was a human, I used to like adventures,” said Kaito, “until one of them lead me into Miku’s arms. I was pretty much locked up after that.”

“You miss them.”

“Oh, I grew used to it. Right now, I am more interested in a date.”

“I’m terrible at dates. I only think of boring ideas, like drinking blood under the stars or going on a hunt together. Or watching a movie... oh, well, those often end up being a lot of fun when you take lube along.”

“Wait a second. You have movies here?” Kaito rose to his elbows, looking down at the elder.

“And it’s still running!” Announced Gakupo proudly, raising a finger. “But I would have to talk to the others and see what they have to say about it. We avoid showing what sort of technology we possess to outsiders. If I don’t ask them first, they might get mad.”

“But... aren’t you the one deciding?”

“I would be a pretty bad lord if I just showed all our secrets to someone no one else but me trusts, don’t you think?” He sighed. “And yes, those are just movies, but it’s the principle of it. They still aren’t showing themselves to you, aren’t they?”

“Well, no...”

“I told Luka,” muttered Gakupo. “Stratosphere, I would bet an eye that he is the one behind everyone else’s hiding. I tell him one thing...”

“Who is Luka?” Asked Kaito.

“My pupil.”

“A pupil? You are a teacher?”

“No, certainly not!” He laughed. “I think that if I was to try and teach Luka anything, he would end up calling me a dunce – his favorite insult – as he tries to strangle me. He was sent here by a good friend of mine from the Galatea clan because of some trouble he caused back at home.”

“What sort of trouble?”

The question earned him a flick on the nose.

“You’re too curious for someone that can’t hear when a vampire is trying to sneak up on you,” said the lord. “Why don’t you ask him yourself, see if he would be willing to answer?”

Kaito, not understanding what he meant, was about to tell him that he had no idea who that Luka was, when a pink-haired vampire burst into the room, his wings spread and his eyes shooting angry daggers at the couple. The youngest yelped and pulled the cover up; the eldest laughed, and the newcomer seemed only angrier.

“Gakupo!” Cried the latter as he towered over the both of them. “You lied to me!”

“Hmmm?” answered the lord nonchalantly – but with a large grin on his face. “Have I?”

Kaito wanted to run away, but he was entirely naked under the sheets. He huddled close to his lover and let him stroke his hair, praying that he wasn’t in mortal danger. Gakupo would defend him if he was... Would he?

“Don’t you give me this—this nasty—don’t treat me like a damn dunce!” roared who could only be Luka. “You said that you wouldn’t try to seduce this devil’s spawn! But here you are! For the _second_ time in a week – his first week!”

“I never promised anything,” said the lord in a calm tone. He seemed to be way too delighted about playing with the intruder’s nerves. “I just said that Kaito would never want to have anything to do with me. I was wrong. Right, birdie?” he asked, turning to the younger vampire in his arms.

It took a moment for Kaito to understand that the pet name referred to him. He squeaked.

“You... siren!” growled Luka at the small male. “It was your plan all along. I should have _decapitated_ you before you could cast your vile spell!”

“Ease, Luka,” ordered Gakupo, his cheerful mood disappearing the moment the other started to attack his lover. “Right now, you are the one breaking your promise.”

“My promise?” screamed the intruder. “How can I even be nice to him when he’s ruining everything?”

“Ruining...” the lord frowned. “What in the world are you talking about, Luka?”

“He brings Miku with him. Have you forgotten what sort of person she is?” He reached up and started to pull at his mane of pink hair in exasperation. “If she has access to this castle, then who knows what she can do! Maybe she will even get her hands on the weapons we have, or the labs or the—“

“Luka, you are being irrational right now,” said Gakupo in a firm voice. He released his hold on Kaito and sat up. “Snap out of it.”

“How can I be _calm_ when she is coming?” he screamed. “He should die, die, die...”

The lord moved so fast that there was a blur, then a smack. Luka tumbled back, holding his cheek, too shocked to continue his tangent. Gakupo stood in front of him, naked, his face hard.

There was a blur again, too fast for Kaito’s eyes, but he heard another smack of flesh against flesh. The young vampire screamed when the scene became clear again: Luka, his eyes crazy, had sunk his fangs deep in Gakupo’s shoulder and the latter was doing nothing to pull him away. All three of them froze for what seemed forever.

Tears, large and tinted with blood, flooded Luka’s eyes as all the tension left his body. He jerked himself away and fled himself in the lord’s arms, crying. He had bit down so strongly that even his flat teeth had pierced the skin. Yet the older vampire greeted him in his arms and held him tight, patting his head.

“There, it’s okay, Luka,” he whispered. “Cry it out. Whatever it is. Everything is fine.”

Kaito, sensing that the danger was over, forced himself to relax. He didn’t know what to do with himself, not wanting to disturb the two as they seemed to be having a moment. He wondered what their relationship really was. From the looks of it, they were close.

“I’m sorry I bit you,” said the pink-haired male between two ugly sobs.

“It’s nothing. I barely felt it at all. Do you want me to open a channel to Galatea so that you can talk to your sire?”

“No, I’m fine...”

“You are not. Listen, why don’t you get yourself a cup of blood, and then we can talk about what’s really troubling you?”

Luka shook his head. He sniffled, then pulled away, rubbing his tears. “I’ll get the blood. But I’m okay. I’m just... worried.”

“We’ll talk about that later,” said the lord, pulling away from him. “Are you sure you don’t want to talk about it?”

“I’m fine!” Luka pushed Gakupo away almost angrily. “Don’t have to mother me. I am not Gumi. I’ll leave you two in peace.”

The lord didn’t seem affected by the rejection. He simply let the pink haired vampire leave his hold and watched him leave the room, looking concerned.

When all danger seemed to have passed, Kaito dared sitting up from between the covers, blinking slowly. “What just happened?”

The eldest passed a hand in his hair. “Well, I present you Luka. He’s got a good heart, really, but sometimes he just... I don’t know what gets in him. He has strong passions, even for a vampire.” He turned to his lover, looking sorry. “I wished that you might get to first know him under different terms.”

“I, well, I won’t take it personal.” Thinking that the magic of the moment had been broken, Kaito threw the covers to the side and went to gather his clothes. At least they had not been ripped to pieces this time.

“Where are you going?”

“I... well, I don’t think that you are in the mood for cuddling anymore.”

The other laughed, and before Kaito could turn around he was scooped up in strong arms and held against a bare chest as Gakupo nuzzled him.

“I’m always in the mood for cuddles!” Cried the eldest as he carried him back to his bed.

“Wha— watch it,” grumbled Kaito. He wasn’t really mad – he had no reason to be – but he wasn’t sure that he liked this playful, happy Gakupo he was getting to know. He was too damn charming for the youngling’s taste.

“I’m very careful, all the time,” chimed the other, tossing him on the covers.

Kaito bounced around with an oof. “I’m fragile.”

“Aww, poor birdie. Maybe a kiss will help your booboo.” His eyes took on a naughty glint and erect fangs glinted between his lips. “Or maybe you would prefer a bite?”

The look alone made Kaito’s inside melt, but the mention of a bite made him glance at the lord’s recent wound. “Your shoulder...”

Gakupo reached up and touched it as if remembering that Luka had bitten him. “It’s noth—I mean, oh, on no, the pain!” He fell on his back dramatically. “Only a kiss will sooth it!”

Kaito rolled his eyes at the show, but it was hard not to smile. “Remind me how old you are again?”

“Old enough to be kissed again and again and again, and kiss you back all over.” He suddenly reached up and yanked his lover down, pressing him against his neck. “You’re too young to be this serious.”

“You’re impossible,” muttered Kaito, but his nose was filled with the smell of spices and blood coursing right under the skin. His fangs slipped out shily and he wasn’t sure if he should draw them back in. “Utterly... impossible.”

“Bite me,” whispered Gakupo.

“What?” He pulled away.

The eldest got on his hands and knees. “Bite me. You want it, and I am ordering you. Sink your fangs in my neck and drink.”

“But... Luka wouldn’t want that.”

Kaito slowly back away against the head of the bed, but the lord followed, placing a hand on his hip to stop him from moving away further. A half-smile played on his lips that was like a jab of heat in the youngling’s stomach.

“What happened between us wouldn’t concern Luka even if he stood in the room. Don’t deny that the idea excites you, I can see your fangs.”  He moved in close so that he would whisper in his ear. “Bite me.”

Kaito gulped and turned his head. His lips grazed the other’s immaculate skin. His scent filled his nose and he was suddenly very aware of his naked body near his, with nothing between them. He had seldom drunk another vampire’s blood, and never the blood of someone as powerful as the lord of Gacktpoid. He would have never imagined it to happen in such an intimate setting.

Not sure how to go about it, he reached up and slipped a hand in the silky locks, holding on to the other like that, and kissed him. The skin under his lips flushed red, tempting him, exciting him. He bit as gently as he could, yet it was still the piercing of skin, the claiming, the thirst that spoke. He groaned in delight as he sank all the way, smooth flesh pressing against the base of his fangs. He had missed that.

The first sip alone made him dizzy. He had the sensation that it was sizzling on his tongue, dazzling him with its power. It burned down his neck, but it was a good burn, and then his veins were set ablaze. And the taste... It was dark and alluring, yet spicy in the same way as Gakupo’s scent. Kaito closed his eyes and drank eagerly. He wasn’t just tasting blood: this was the essences of his lover, and it was entering his mouth and spilling into his body.

He could feel the older vampire’s sensations through the blood. He felt his joy that they shared this moment, but also his desire, deep and burning, low and steady even when their hunger for flesh was sated. It went beyond fucking: he wanted to conquer, consume and feed, he wanted to know this pleasure of becoming truly one, that they might be two souls in one mind.

It was exciting and terrifying at the same time.

Kaito stopped, but he could still feel Gakupo’s presence against his mind. The sensation was odd, foreign, yet at the same time enticing. Power from the other’s blood hummed through his veins. It was the closest he had come to drunk in a long time.

The eldest relaxed and rested his weight on Kaito, but that was overestimating his will. The youngest hardened against him almost immediately, his body recognizing the one that had fucked him earlier.

Gakupo chuckled and wrapped his arms around his lover, turning so that they would lay side by side. “Still not sated?” He asked.

“I want you,” panted Kaito. His mind was muddy, the filter on his words not as strong as it used to be. He was both full of energy and half delirious.

“You’re blood-drunk,” said Gakupo. “Oh by the Core, you’re so cute.”

Kaito growled. “I’m not.”

“You definitely are.” He grinned.

“Stop laughing at me and help me,” whined Kaito.

“I would have shared some blood earlier if I would have known that you would be this compliant after. Things would have been so much easier.”

“Shut up!”

Gakupo laughed, but for all his teasing, he slipped a hand between them and stroked Kaito’s hardness, making the latter groan and thrust his hips. Their minds surged and coiled together, linked by the blood they had shared, making them share their lust for each other. The eldest moaned and hardened as well. They pressed their sexes together and their hands came around them to hold them tight.

This romp was quick and messy, yet delicious. The did not move from the position on their side nor did they reach out for anything that would spice things up: they were only sating an urge their shared, wanted to unite each other in please like they had united themselves in their minds. When one’s excitement rose, so did the others, and before they knew it, they were coming together, moaning out each other’s name.

They remained panting, laying in the mess they had made.

“Don’t leave this dawn,” whispered Gakupo. “Let’s sleep together.”

Kaito’s entire body was still buzzing from the powerful blood that had been poured in him, but it was the hum of something that was working in the background. He was entirely relaxed and certainly didn’t feel like getting dressed to walk anywhere.

Right at the corner of his eye, he saw a towel float into Gakupo’s hands and he started to wipe their mess. He didn’t have the will to deny that he enjoyed it, so he closed his eyes and purred.

“Happy little vampire,” commented the lord, amused.

“Yes.”

“Can you promise that you will be in this much of a good mood when we’ll wake up, or will you be back to your usual defensive state?”

“So that you can seduce me further?” Kaito clicked his tongue. “Not a chance.”

“Well if you ask me you seem pretty seduced,” muttered the lord. “I’ll have to think of a date idea soon if that goes on like that.”

“Sounds wonderful,” muttered Kaito. His limbs were starting to feel heavy.

“Oh. Sun rose already? I didn’t feel a thing.”

“Nah... tired.”

The other chuckled and kissed his eyelids. The youngest was vaguely aware of a wing being drawn over the both of them before sinking in a dreamless pit. He only felt the power in him, and the taste of vampire blood on his tongue.

 


	9. Chapter 9

Luka punched the code into the control panel and wanted for the gate to open. He wasn’t supposed to know it but, of course, he had memorized it when Gakupo had shown him this place the first time and had committed it to memory. This sort of information always came in handy at the most unlikely of times.

The door opened on a vast round room, lined with dark red curtains all around. There was nothing there but a faint buzz, light enough that one might believe it to be non-existent.

The dead slept here.

Luka descended a few steps and moved to the opposite side of the room, his steps resonating on the dark stone. The sun had risen; there would be no one looking for him here now, at least not at first.

He parted the curtains in front of him, and the High Lord Nesum appeared to his sight.

He was standing upside down and entirely bare. Streams of blood, like veins, ran over his skin, feeding him in his sleep through the centuries; they were only a few shades lighter than his skin, winds, and hair. He was tall, but of delicate features, lean in the most elegant of ways, with the faintest trace of definition to his figure. It was as if he had taken this place in the glass coffin yesterday.

Luka reached out and laid his hand on the glass between them. The low hum of the machine that controlled the hibernation coffin was louder now, but its sound was far from disagreeable. It reminded the pink-haired vampire of the only time he had gone into the Deathsleep, how peaceful it had been. He missed it.

“I don’t know if you can even hear me,” he whispered. “But things here are not looking good. There is this vampire that’s been rising since you went to sleep. She’s known to be a trickster, yet Gakupo...”

“Telling on your tutor, Luka?” said a voice that waffled across the space.

Luka whipped around, and there was a vampire on the steps. Blond hair fell in loose curls over his blue eyes, and a smile played on his lips. His wings seemed rather small and folded up neatly, but all of his appearances seemed rather small and frail. He tapped his long, painted red nails against his cheek in impatience, but his lips were pulled back in a smile.

“Len,” gasped Luka.

“Hmm.” The newcomer rose to his feet. He moved like a dancer, more so than another vampire; in one breath, he was near the pink-haired vampire. “Didn’t expect anyone here, didn’t you?”

Luka did not answer.

 “You never met the High Lord when he is awake, didn’t you?” said Len, looking in the glass case. He reached out and placed a hand next to Luka’s. “Although I like him like this. He looks like that princess from that old fairy tale – a silly story, really. I think that if anyone tried to kiss him in his sleep, he would be awake before you know it – and rip their head off just as easily as snapping a match.”

“He doesn’t take well to affection?” Asked Luka, amused.

“Let us just say he’s not a morning person.” Len’s hand glided over the glass and gripped the other’s, pulling it away. “If I didn’t know you, I would think you insane to even try and come here.”

“He can’t be that terrible.”

“Eccentric is the word you are looking for. But who can blame someone for being that when they are living on a foreign world? We are probably all too mild for his tastes. Come.”

Still holding his hand, Len pulled Luka away, towards the door.

“Does he miss his homeworld sometimes?” asked the pink-haired man, looking back. Right as he did so, the curtain that had been hiding him earlier slipped back in place.

“I don’t know, but I don’t think so. He doesn’t seem like the type.” Len closed the door to the hibernation hall. “I’m going to have to change the code now, and then the others will hear about it. Gakupo must have had his head in the clouds, letting you wander off all the way down here.”

“You mean, buried in the midst of blue locks.”

Len became oddly silent after that, looking away as if remembering, before nodding slowly. “Ah, sometimes I forget how quickly Gakupo makes a move when he spies a head of blue. I suppose a young vampire is exactly what would suit that playful mood he’s been having for the last hundred years. And it’s been rubbing off you. Running off to try and wake up the High lord of Gackpoid? Naughty.”

Luka suddenly noticed that they were still holding hands. He pulled on his, not to avail, and understood where this was going.

“Len...”

“Ah, I’ve been spotted already. I thought that I was being quite smooth this time.” Len moved in closer, into Luka’s personal space, looking up at him from under his lashes. “But I _could_ get a kiss. After all, I’m going to have to cover for you and change the code to make sure you don’t sneak back in...”

The other vampire stood still in the midst of his advance, like a tower. “If you change the code, you’ll have to warn the others anyway.”

“Touché. You’re getting better at this. Soon, I won’t be able to get you to come to my bed anymore.”

Luka chuckled. “Get me to come to your bed? Don’t talk as if you tricked me into it. You’re not that slick.”

“Aha, but I am good at making bargains, and I think that there is one that might interest you greatly.”

Luka perked up. Now he was interested. “Speak.”

“You seemed troubled about the whole ordeal with Kaito. If you are the one to speak up, then our dear lord Gakupo might not listen, but if it’s me...”

“He won’t listen either. He knows you never take a position unless you have something to gain – I haven’t known you for this long and even I know that. Go and sleep in your lonely coffin today.” Luka turned away and started to walk. He counted three steps in his mind.

“How about I talk to Kaito directly?”

The pink-haired vampire stopped and looked over his shoulder. “And tell him what? Some lie that one question directed at his new lover would expose?”

“He’s a youngling – a newborn, really. Do you think that I wouldn’t be able to find a way to bend him to your will? Not to leave, but if he rejects Gakupo...”

Luka looked back in front of him; he wanted to hide the smile on his lips. “Do that, and I will be yours for seven nights, for you to claim when you wish. But no prize for losers.”

Len groaned. “Ten. I hate odd numbers.”

“Ten? You’ve got balls, but all right. Just remember that it will only come true if you succeed.”

“You’ll see.” Len stood behind Luka, wrapping his arms around him and burying his head between his shoulder. “If he ends up preferring me, I’ll bring him along to play.”

Luka spread his wings, forcing the other to let him go, and turned around. “No.”

“You want me all for yourself?”

“Bring anyone else if you wish. Anyone but Miku’s spawn.”

“Ah.” Len pretended to be deceived. “But then, if I don’t seduce him, how can I turn him from Gakupo? If he finds out that my heart belongs to someone else already, he will run straight back into the Lord’s arms.”

“Well, that’s the catch. Weren’t you telling me moments earlier that he was but a newborn?” Luka smiled. “You are going to have to earn those nights with me.”

“Is that a challenge?”

“It’s a double dare.”

Len nodded slowly, before delicately catching Luka’s hand and bringing it to his lips. “Consider it done.” He kissed the knuckles, then kissed again, each finger, then the palm, making Luka laugh.

“Stop it, you old rag,” he said as he pulled his hand back. “You won’t get a thing before it’s actually done.”

“Not even a look?”

Luka let the blood flow under the skin of his neck and chest, teasingly, stoking the see-through cloth of his shirt. “Maybe.” 

“I want to see it all.”

“Then no.”

“You’re beautiful. Why didn’t I capture the sight of you on a picture when you were mine? You, naked, moaning, in my bed—”

“It is time to sleep,” interrupted Luka. “Save your pretty words for the boy.”

And with that, Luka turned around and walked away. Len watched him leave, his blue eyes unable to part with the shape of the other. He licked his lips and sighed, before looking back at the closed door of the Deathsleep chamber.

“I must have looked pretty pathetic, didn’t I?” He asked.

Only the silence of an undisturbed sleep replied, but it was like a mocking chuckle. The blond shrugged and left, wondering how he was going to be able to pull this off.


	10. Chapter 10

What woke Kaito was the movement of the other under him, pulling away, only to come back over him. The sensation of sleeping in a bed, and with someone else to top it off, was so foreign that it startled him awake, only for his eyes to plunge into the gaze of the Lord. He froze.

“Rise and shimmer,” whispered Gakupo, before kissing him.

Kaito turned his head away when he felt teeth nipple on his lower lip. “Good night,” he said. He looked around. They were still in the room where they had had sex, and the sight reminded him that.

“You’re lovely when you blush like that,” whispered Gakupo, lowering his head until the sharp edge of his canines teased his collar bone.

“Already ‘lovely’?” asked Kaito, trying to push him away. “I’m barely awake, how can you be like that?”

“I’ve been awake for a while, I’ve been waiting for you to start breathing again.” Gakupo let out a playful growl, laying his weight on the youngest. “I didn’t think it would be a problem. Did you change your mind from last night already? Or did you have a nightmare I need to sooth?”

“Too damn touchy,” muttered Kaito as he tried his best to crawl from under the oppressive Lord. “You’re going to choke me.”

Gakupo laughed but moved away from him, giving him some space. Kaito moved through the sheets, away from him, then laid there. His limbs still felt heavy with sleep, and he didn’t have the energy to move far, yet he was ravenous.

Gakupo kicked away the covers and rose, passing a hand in his hair. Kaito’s eyes trailed down his hard body, down to his ass, despite himself.  He passed a hand on his lips – he still remembered the taste of his blood, the essence that had poured in him, and then the charming, playful vampire that he had unexpectedly found.

He was scared. It all moved so fast, too fast.

“Are you thirsty?” asked Gakupo as he picked a ribbon to tie his hair. “I reckon I’ve sent you some blood in the morning.”

“I’m starving.”

Gakupo approached a wall, and it seemed to light up from the inside, revealing a screen. Kaito rose on his elbow, shocked, but he was ignored and watched the other touch some icons marked with the thin, elegant runes of Vampiric. The Lord dismissed it with a single gesture when he was done, and once again the stone took on its ordinary look.

“There isn’t anything like that at Miku’s hold?” he asked, turning to the youngest. “You look like you saw a ghost.”

“Well, there was, but I wasn’t expecting... something there.”

“Hm. Then I haven’t revealed anything new to you. That’s good. And you should know that there is no point in trying to activate the system because it won’t recognize you. Not that you need it when I am taking care of you.”

Kaito looked away. He didn’t really care, or maybe he didn’t want to keep staring at a standing, naked Gakupo as his body was waking up just enough to recognize what he was seeing. He felt the mattress dip under some weight.

“You were more pleasant last night,” whispered Gakupo as he crawled over. “Had some bad dreams?”

“No, just being woken by a man crushing you isn’t the best of greetings.”

“So now it’s my fault.” Gakupo pressed closer, Kaito could feel him through the sheets. “You sure changed quickly the moment you think you can get away with talking back, didn’t you?”

The youngest tried to reply, but he was flipped flat on his stomach with teeth at his throat before he could say a word. He gasped and froze, blood flowing to the two points that threatened to pierce his skin. He groaned. Out of all the thing to get aroused by...

But he wasn't bitten. Gakupo stuck a tongue out and licked the spot he had been nibbling at, as in consolation. “Just kidding. Although that blush is nice. For a second I thought you were really giving me the cold shoulder.”

Kaito felt his cheeks heat up and cursed himself. He knew that he could use the excuse that his body was only being submissive out of survival instincts, he hated that it would betray him like that, for the other to see.

“You like playing hard to get?” asked the Lord. He was still laying over him, whispering in his ear. “I think that’s it. You like it when someone works to get you.”

“No,” grunted Kaito. He could feel his cock stirring, pressed against the sheets. The other was so close it simply had to react. “Back off.”

“All right, I get it, not a morning person.” Gakupo finally got off him, seating himself in the bed next to the youngest. “Look, breakfast is here.”

Kaito got up and looked as an android walked in, carrying a tray with a blood pitcher and two glasses. That explained the lack of smell when his feeding was brought over in his room during the day, he thought as he also sat up – but within a good distance from the insufferable lord, and making sure that the sheets didn’t reveal too much of a bump between his legs.

The robot was dressed in a dark, unisex uniform and was made with what appeared to be sleek brass, with cables showing at the joints. Its face was entirely blank – much like the statues that guarded the gate to the castle, Kaito noticed. It was quiet, so much so that the only sound it made was its feet padding on the heavy carpet. There was something unsettling about it, although that might only be because it was Kaito’s first time seeing the model.

The android gave the tray to Gakupo, that placed it on his own lap, before bowing in salute and retreating by walking backward, its head still bowed down.

“Did you have human servants in your old home?” Asked Gakupo.

“A few, but also some like this one,” said Kaito, watching it close the door. “Why doesn’t it have a face?”

“Nesum’s tastes and we keep them like that even when he’s not around. He’s adamant that they shouldn’t get one – they are just machines. His words.” Gakupo poured some blood in both glasses without spilling a drop, before offering one to Kaito.

“Nesum?”

“For you, it would be Lord Nesum. He’s the builder and the true master of Gackpoid, although he’s been hibernating for many years before you were even born as a human, so I am not surprised that you don’t recognize his name. I’m sure you would love him, you both share a passion for brooding.”

“I don’t have a _passion_ for brooding,” replied Kaito.

“Sure, if you say so.” Gakupo took a sip of his glass and sent Kaito a look under his eyelashes. “But I happen to always be able to cheer your type up, eventually. You’ll see.”

Kaito, not knowing how to answer that – finding, to his utter mortification, that he was still very attracted to the man, gulped down his own glass. His fangs clinked against the crystal in his hurry. The eldest laughed, which earned him a death glare.

“You know,” said the lord, ignoring the death glare being sent his way. “I’m almost tempted to let you drink some more of my blood, just to see you blood-drunk again. You were adorable. You even agreed to a date.”

“I didn’t,” lied Kaito.

“You certainly did, I remember it perfectly. I was thinking about it a little this morning, while I watched you sleep. What do you think of a little hunt, you and I?”

“A hunt? What will we be hunting?”

“Humans.”

The mention made him jolt. He looked at the lord, that was smirking at him, looked at him carefully. “You hunt humans.”

“We have a small settlement not far from Gacktpoid. Sometimes, some of them are out at night. We can go there when I make some time, mingle with some, and corner one in a dark alley. Or have one offer themselves up – that happens. We won’t be killing any though, they are supposed to be under my protection from other, less merciful clans.”

Kaito didn’t answer. He stared down hard in his empty glass. There was a residue of blood.

“Is something the matter?” Asked Gakupo, concerned.

“Did you already kill a human?”

“Oh.” For a fraction of a second, the youngest could have sworn he had caught the other off guard with his question, but that quickly disappeared behind a smile. “And what if I have?”

Kaito’s lips thinned as he looked back down. Hate was boiling up in the pit of his stomach like a stove set on low. If he would listen to himself, he would lash out, but fear held him back. The other was so much more powerful than him that provoking him would be foolish.

“Let me guess. You think I killed those people for my enjoyment?” Asked the lord. He set the tray on the nightstand and laid on his side, facing the youngest. “I’ve done it only once in that sense. She had stolen the man I loved when I was a human and I was coming back for revenge. I’ve regretted it the moment I saw the look of horror on his face and swore that I would never do it again. It was pathetic.”

“But there were other times,” muttered Kaito.

“I’ve been in three wars, Kaito, of course there were.” Gakupo sighed. “Why are you so hung up over me killing humans?” he asked in a concerned tone. “Was your human family killed by a vampire? Will you give me a kiss if I bring you their head?”

“What? No, that didn’t happen.” Kaito remained quiet for a while, his gaze cast down, before continuing. “I used to be a vampire hunter.”

Gakupo burst out laughing, which earned him a glare from the other, after which he covered his mouth with a hand to try to quiet his hollering – not to avail. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to laugh, but by the Core, I did _not_ expect that.” He wheezed. “And I slept with you. Twice! Oh boy, the others are going to _hate_ that. I can already hear Luka screaming at me about how you could have stabbed me in the gut and I wouldn’t have cared as long as I got to shoot my load. Does Miku know?”

“Yes,” said Kaito.

There were no more words exchanged as Gakupo was trying his best to calm himself down. When he did, and could present a more serious face, he reached towards Kaito’s hand on the cover.

“Look, sorry again for laughing, if I hurt your feelings that wasn't my intention. Being turned into a vampire must have been so conflicting to you.”

“As long as I don’t murder a human, I’ll be fine,” said Kaito. “And that will never happen. I would rather starve.”

“Instinct doesn’t exactly give you a choice when you are starving.”

“I know. And if a vampire hunter comes after me for committing that crime, then I would gladly give myself in.”

Gakupo didn’t reply right away. “That does beg the question as to how were you first changed into a vampire. I can’t imagine that to have happened willingly.”

“It didn’t. We were on a mission to determine if one of the vampires of Miku’s hold, the child of one of her children, were behind the corpses that kept turning up around her castle. It was an undercover mission, yet, one night, she ambushed us. I thought that she wanted to kill us all – but I was wrong. She was after me, and me only. No one else survived.”

“Oh dear.” The lord shook his head. “That must have been quite a fest when your human memories came back to you.”

Kaito nodded.

“She must have been desperate.” he continued. “I would have never gathered one of my children right after killing their friends in front of them. It catches up with you sooner or later...”

“At first I thought that they were just recurring nightmares that kept coming back. My human memories were long due to come back when I realized that those dreams were way to elaborate to be just nightly terrors.” He paused, breathed in deeply. “It was as if all the trust I had in her was suddenly broken as if I was discovering that she had lied to be the entire time. How could she smile at me and call me her dear when she had killed all my friends?”

Gakupo squeezed Kaito’s hand, reminding him that he had been holding it the whole time. The gesture, however, was comforting and encouraged the youngest to go on with the story.

“I confronted her about it. She laughed and started to berate me for still wanting to remain a human, that I cared about the people that were dead. I was astonished that she would say something like that... I still remember her laugh. She mocked me.”

“Oh dear. That’s pretty bad.” Gakupo shook his head in disappointment. “No wonder you hate her. Wants some more blood?”

“Yeah... a second glass can help.”

The lord poured him a refilling, that the youngling drowned in a single gulp before giving the glass back. He had been drinking so much blood those last days, compared to his usual diet, that he was starting to wonder if a vampire could put on weight. He was not used to such abundance – Miku’s clan had the ability to make some artificial blood, but not this much, and usually word went around that living sources were healthier.

“About that date, though,” said Gakupo, “maybe we can just go out for some dancing. No need to make a stop to drink. What do you think?”

“You are adamant about going out,” said Kaito.

“Of course I am. Going out is fun. Although I think that I am starting to be late for my work day.”

“Late? What sort of work are you doing?”

“Oh, I don’t know if it would be all right to tell you most of it, but you can think about it as a permanence. I got to oversee that things are going smoothly in this castle, but I also got to be there in case we receive an SOS from our outposts at the edge of our territory, and generally, we got to be ready for anything that might occur.” Gakupo pushed the blankets away and stood up. “It’s the less fun part of being a lord, if you ask me, especially when we are facing a long period of peace like this one. It gets monotonous. But it has to be done.”

“Don’t you have people that are assigned to watch out?” asked Kaito.

“Of course, I work with a team, but I am the one that oversees it all and the only one that can activate the maximum alert level during urgencies. It’s a stupid system if you ask me, but I’m not the one that designed it...”

“Lord Nesum?”

“You guessed it. Sometimes it’s hard to fit in his shoes when he’s not awake. That’s why lords are entitled to relaxation, more than anyone else.” He winked at Kaito.

“You mean, entitled to sleep with the spawn of the enemy if they want,” replied the youngest.

“Oh.” He laughed. “Touché. It’s just too bad that Luka got to be so stubborn about you, you guys would get along.”

“Luka? The vampire that made it clear that he didn’t want us to be together last night? No thank you.” Kaito snorted.

“So, you wouldn’t get along because he is against our union? Interesting.”

“That’s not what I meant!”

Gakupo chuckled and waved his hand, calling for peace between them once more. “I do love teasing you, but I really need to get ready. I’ll go change and have some clean clothes sent to you. Can you find your way out, or do you need me to help you?”

“I am pretty sure that I can find my own way out, thank you very much,” muttered Kaito.

“That’s good then.” Gakupo leaned over and kissed the other’s brow before he could be stopped, before escaping through the door quickly.

Kaito, once he was alone, sighed and laid back on the pillows. This night had been a mistake. So why was he feeling so light headed and happy?


	11. Chapter 11

Kaito looked up almost by accident. The book he had been engulfed in was gripping, that was the least that could be said, but there had been a sound that broke his concentration.

He caught the vampire frozen in motion.

The other was short, blond, and beautiful, his face delicate like the one of a doll and his big blue eyes wide and innocent. He held a pile of books in one hand and was leaning to pick one from the floor - that was where the sound had come from.

Kaito frowned, surprised. So, there _were_ other vampires in this castle after all.

"Hello?" he asked hesitantly.

"Ah." The stranger seemed embarrassed but was still smiling. "Hi. You... must be Kaito, right?"

"Indeed." Kaito placed his book on the table next to him. "And you are?"

"Len."

"Len? I've heard that name before..."

He suddenly remembered. This was the vampire that had accidentally walked in on their first time with Gakupo. The realization made Kaito blush in shame.

Len picked up his book and neared him. He placed the pile he had been carrying down and sat on the empty seat next to Kaito. He moved like a dancer. He probably was one.

"I don't believe that we have met already," he said. There was a twinkle in his eye that told Kaito that he too remembered - and that he found the other's embarrassment tremendously amusing. "But it's never too late for a proper introduction. So, pleased to meet you, Kaito."

He gave his hand and Kaito shook it. Len's bones were so delicate that it was as if he could snap them in half if he wanted. However, when he looked at the whole of him, Len moved so smoothly that he gave the impression that he could snap his hand in the blink of an eye, like a magic trick.

"Now that this is done, I suppose it's nothing but polite conversation than to inquire about what you were reading."

"Oh-- Well, it's a book called... _Night on the Sea_."

"I've read it. Very intriguing. I like the ending."

"You like murder mysteries?"

"Yes. I think that the fact that the protagonists are in such close, intimate quarters with their enemies... I find it adds so much to the tension."

As he said that, Len pulled his chair closer to Kaito. The latter was caught by surprise. He didn't expect the other to be coming on to him and that was very obviously what it looked like.

"I don't know," he replied. "It doesn't do much for me. I just think that the author writes wonderfully well, and that's enough."

"You are content with so little, Kaito." Len leaned back against his chair. "But have you ever thought of expanding your horizons? Try new things?"

"Up to now, I feel like I've kept my reading rather diverse. There are so many books to chose from."

"Perhaps that's what you think. But you don't know what you are missing until someone guides you to it, don't you?"

"But do I really need a guide if I am happy?"

"Are you?"

Kaito had nothing else to say. It was very clear, to him, that Len was talking about anything but books to him, and that he had only been delaying the inevitable by pretending that he was. He didn't know how to feel about his insistence or the fact that he had pretty much gone from hello to flirting. He still recalled very precisely how he had been abandoned to his own devices by all the other vampires of the clan. And he was to believe that Len's interest in him was genuine?

He wasn't buying it.

"What do you want?" he asked.

Len smiled at him. He was very handsome. Previously, Kaito had compared him to a dancer, and he made that parallel once more, but this time he thought of the dance a diplomate might execute when dealing with a tricky situation. He didn't give an answer, instead, he seemed to be counting on his charm to suffice as one, and it almost worked. Kaito, despite the fact that his mind was very much alert and looking for clues, was still a young, impressionable vampire, and it was in his nature to submit to his eldest. But the moment he caught himself thinking that someone this beautiful might not be that bad, he realized what his own thoughts sounded like and he scorned himself inwardly. He had enough with having to fend off the advances of one vampire, he didn't have to invite a second one to do the same.

"So?" Kaito said. "I asked a question."

Len laughed, as if he found this immensely amusing, and pinched his cheek. Kaito didn't appreciate that and frowned at him.

"You are all so very endearing," Len said. "Even when you are mad. Come, no need to look at me like that. I just want to get to know you. Never met a vampire that just wants to be your friend?"

Kaito scoffed. If he wanted that so much, why had he not come sooner? But he was still very aware of Len's status as a member of the Gacktpoid clan, so he didn't say that. Instead, he checked his book again, looking for something to distract himself.

"I see that you are a stubborn one," said Len. "Listen, I'll get to the point then. I know that you've been left alone but, the truth is, we all wanted to meet you. I wanted to meet you! I just didn't know how to do so in a way that didn't anger... Well, our dear lord Gakupo."

It took a moment for that to sink in.

"What?" Kaito said. "But he said that you were the one that didn't want to talk to me because I just so happen to be Miku's child."

Len waved his hand. "Maybe. And it is true that it might look like that from the outside because he never _told_ us that we should leave you alone, or else. But we've lived with him long enough to know what sort of reaction to expect from him if we did one step in the wrong direction."

"What do you mean? What would he do?"

Len smiled. It was a mix between kindness and mischief, as in he had brought Kaito where he wanted him to be but with benevolence. It looked sincere - a lot more than his previously playful dismissals.

"How about you come with me? Let me show you a place worth seeing, and then we can talk there. My heart aches when I see how little of Gacktpoid you know."

Once again, Kaito was suspicious, but now he had a reason to listen to Len - and it was a good one. It was true that he was very biased towards Gakupo. Hearing about him from someone else but himself would allow him to survey the situation with a clearer frame of mind.

He nodded.

Len stood, followed by him. Kaito noticed that he was taller than the other vampire. That didn't mean that he was the most intimidating. One look at the two of them would be enough to know which one was the elder, even to the untrained eye: Len had a grace, an elegance about him that simply could not be faked. That begged the question of his rank and his age, something that Kaito told himself that he would ask about later. It wasn't the most important.

Len led him with ease out of the library and beyond. Sometime later, as they were walking in the hallway, he took his arm so that they would be walking side by side. His scent, sickeningly sweet yet tainted with the power of ancient blood, filled Kaito's nose, dizzying him. He found himself wondering how bad it would be if Len's interest in him was genuine. He wondered if he would fall for it too. For all his mysteries, he seemed more manageable than overpowering and possessive Gakupo. Or maybe that was all a mask, or maybe Len just flirted with everyone and didn't mean anything by it. But that didn't stop Kaito from being affected despite himself.

They came to doors that had been previously locked to Kaito. Len approached a wall, made a screen appear there - startling Kaito, that would have never suspected one there - and typed some sort of code on it. He then navigated all sorts of menus, most of which were filled with strange lines of numbers and letters.

"What are you doing?" he asked. It was obvious that this wasn't just about unlocking the door.

"Granting you access to this part of the castle. Gakupo really enjoys keeping you in a private enclosure around his office and living quarters, from what I can tell. It's time you were given some new place to roam."

"Will that be okay with the others?"

"The others? Which others are you talking about?" Len looked at him with that mischievous glint in his eye, as if he already knew what Kaito was about to answer.

"Well... like Luka, for example."

"Met him already? Oh, don't worry about him. He won't care about this. His biggest problem, from what I can tell, if with Gakupo's interest in you. He doesn't actually care about you, personally."

"I mean, he seemed pretty repulsed by the fact that I was there. He said that he wanted me to die. Or, rather, made decapitation threats."

"Don't worry." Len, having finished what he was doing, turned off the screen and opened the door. They walked down another hallway, one that looked like any other in the castle. "In your case, he's all bark and no bite. He knows that you are no threat to him. If you happened to pass him on your own - that is, without Gakupo - he wouldn't even acknowledge that you are there and pass you as if you are invisible. You wouldn't be worth his time or attention."

"Really? Why that?"

"Because you're so very young! He doesn't have the time to spare with nobodies."

"He sounds.. pretty arrogant. If he wouldn't even pay attention to someone because they are weak, then he's not worse my time either."

Len laughed.

"What is it?" Kaito said.

"Oh, don't worry. I laugh at myself. Your words are very sensible, and I am glad that you think so for your own sake. I, personally, think that he has every reason to behave as he does. You have to admit that he has something so... dignified. And guarded. Doesn't it make you wonder how he really is, not even a little bit?"

Kaito shook his head but he was intrigued. There was something in Len's tone that was like a slip of a drape, a fleeting glimpse at his heart. He spoke of Luka with a passion that he didn't entirely control, and it was an odd thing to see him do so compared to his previously composed demeanour. Maybe it was to lure Kaito to the wrong conclusions, but what would Len stand to gain from making the younger vampire believe that he was head over heels for Luka?

"Well, I think so," Len said. "And maybe I am crazy about it. But when you are as old as I am-- Oh, but here are the gardens."

Right as he said that, he opened a new door. Kaito gasped. He had seen many beautiful things since his arrival in the castle but this was a new kind of beauty he had yet to grow used to.

The gardens were circular, although nothing else about them was. There was a stream that ran through them, along with many paths that ventured from light to shadow and back to light, but it was all arranged in an irregular fashion, the type that looked natural but simply couldn't be, for it was too pleasant, too perfect to look at. Above it way a glass dome, made of one piece and spotless; the only way Kaito knew that it was there was from how there was no wind in this Eden. He fell in love with the flowers, although they were rarely the big and vain type like roses. Rather, they were the delicate types, the small wild ones that were so hard to grow, their thousands of little faces turned up to their sisters in the parterre of the night sky above. But what commanded his attention most was a tree in the centre whose leaves were bright blue and whose trunk was black. It intrigued him. He had never seen such a plant.

"Welcome to our Night Gardens," Len said. "Lovely, isn't it? And that, over there," he pointed to the unusual tree, "is a plant dear to our lord Nesum, from his home planet. You know about lord Nesum now, don't you?"

Kaito nodded. "Did he plant this tree when he first arrived?"

"No, no, not at all. This is the great great great grandchild of it, if my memory serves me right. And he had to actually mix it with the genes of Earth plants to get it to reproduce. The first generation was more of a-- Let's say a carnivorous plant he kept as a pet. From what he has told me once, it used to be aware, too, very aware of the slow death of its victims. He fed it himself, with live preys, most of which were humans. Luckily, the tree that we have today don't do that."

Kaito frowned. He didn't care how powerful this lord was, he didn't have his respect if he was so careless about the lives of humans.

"Let's go sit over there, shall we?" Len said, taking his first steps on the path. "We didn't finish our previous conversation. I owe you some explanation."

Kaito nodded and followed Len to the centre of the garden. There was a bench in the shade of the tree, a wood bench, old and worn. It surprised him. Vampires rarely used wood at all in their constructions, even smaller clans that struggled to afford the more mysterious materials that made Gacktpoid. Something about how it had once been alive. For this reason, this spot stood out as a special one, even if he had no idea why it was so. He sat down next to Len.

"So, tell me. What did Gakupo do that keeps everyone away?"

Len smiled at him. "Straight to the point, I see. However, the answer to that is nothing, not this time. But we know how he is about... your type of men."

"I know. The blue-haired type."

"Precisely. You saw the paintings?"

"I did."

Len chuckled.

"Anyway," he said. "Everyone knows when he gets into one of his... passions. We can tell at first glance. The moment you came into his care, there wasn't a second where you left his surveillance. Did you know that the perimeter in which you were trapped happens to correspond to what he can hear from his desk?"

"No, I didn't know that." This was a little unsettling, he had to admit, but this still wasn't the information he was looking for. "But what would you risk by talking to me?"

"Oh, that's simple: his jealousy. What else? Any small interaction, if initiated by one of the other clan vampires, might be taken as a sign of trying to steal what is... 'his', sorry for the term. Usually, we would call him out on this nonsense, and we would try to reason with him, but we avoid areas where he might get irrational. He's the child of lord Nesum himself after all. He could take down every one of us single-handedly and would have quite a good chance against all of us at once."

"He's of the firstborns? That's..." Insane. Kaito had heard rumours that he was but, to be honest, he had dismissed them the moment he had found himself face to face with a light-hearted, dramatic Gakupo. To think that he was a first generation vampire held the same rank of myth as a dragon or a unicorn.

"He is. And no one gets in the way of their firstborn and their... plaything."

Plaything. Kaito hated that word. He couldn't help but frown as anger seeped through him. What right this Gakupo have on him? None at all. Kaito had clearly said that he didn't want to belong to him, that he wasn't _his_. But did this man ever listen to him? Of course, he didn't.

Len was watching him with very careful attention.

"You don't like that," he said.

"I told him that he wasn't my owner!"

"Calm down. No need to raise your voice."

"I know but..." Kaito rubbed his face. "He's so frustrating. He told me that I was free to go, even if I was Miku's gift to him, that I just needed to stay the time the coast was clear and that Miku wouldn't try to kill me when I step out of the castle. But he's just using it all as an excuse!"

"But you did, well, didn't you sleep with him?"

"That doesn't mean that I am his! And I don't want people going around assuming that I am."

"There, there, I didn't know," Len said as he passed an arm around his shoulder to comfort him. "I didn't know that this was the way you felt about it. We all assumed... well, one of the reasons why I chose to show myself now was that he had taken you back to his living quarters. I had assumed that this meant that you were on the same page... I might be in danger." He laughed, taking away some of the seriousness of his last statement.

"Why do you say that? What would he do to you?"

"I don't know. But I can tell you about an example."

Kaito scooted closer, interested. "Please tell me."

"Oh, if you want." Len smiled at him. "It throws us way back, to when I was but a young vampire. Who was it at the time... I'm related to Gakupo, actually, but by a few generations, and back then I certainly wasn't very interested in him and what he was up to. But I think the name of his lover was Gerrant. An interesting fellow, I got to say. I remember he had those long blue locks."

Kaito reached up to touch his hair.

"Anyway, they were going through a rocky patch, and Gerrant started to display some sort of interest in another vampire. Now, before you start writing this Gerrant off as a terrible person, Gakupo had had it coming. He had been hogging the man for the last... ten years? Way after the honeymoon phase had worn off. So Gerrant asked for a break in their relationship and started to meet people he lived within the same castle but had never had a proper conversation with before that. And, of course, he had affinities with some of them, with one vampire in particular called Jasper.

Gakupo didn't like that. He didn't like that at all. He got very angry, dragged Jasper in a duel and, when he won, he banned Jasper. That didn't bode well with Gerrant, that wanted out but, of course, Gakupo was going through a full-blown crisis and wouldn't have it.

It took Gerrant escaping from Gackpoid like he would a prison for Gakupo to realize that he had gone too far but it was too late. The poor thing ran back to his home clan and didn't come back for a while. The end."

"The end? There's got to be more."

"Like what?"

"Well, for starters, Gakupo apologizing."

"Ah, I don't know about that. I wasn't even very interested in that. You would have to ask another vampire about the story, maybe they would know."

"That is, if they are not scared of becoming another Jasper just by talking to me."

Len shrugged. "That is a risk."

"If he does something like that, I'll have a word with him. I've lived as Miku's child, I'm not scared of him."

"Bold words for someone so young."

"I just know he won't get away with smothering me as he wants. Ten years! That's a scary number."

"Indeed."

That's when he saw her, standing to the side. There were arcades all over the edge of the Night Garden and Gumi was standing right in the shade of a column. She wasn't making a big effort to be hidden, but she was making one not to be seen right away from the way she half-hid behind one. And she was watching them. Kaito was sure that she could hear them, that she was listening on to their conversation.

When she saw that he saw her, she didn't make a sign. Instead, she turned around and went through a door, another door than the one they had come in through, and disappeared in the depth of the castle.

He wondered where she was going.

Probably to Gakupo.


End file.
